If you need to bite down on hard food, such as an apple, use your canines instead of your front teeth. Otherwise, you can cause your dentures to slip and slide around, hurting your gums. Make sure you distribute your food evenly on both sides in the back of your mouth when you chew.
The good news is once you're used to wearing and chewing with dentures, and with a little help from the right adhesive, you can eat pretty much anything. Some foods can be trickier to eat because they are hard to chew or bite, have small hard particles, or are sticky, such as: Tough red meat. Crusty bread.
Give yourself at least 7 to 14 days to get used to wearing the dentures before progressing to more solid foods such as well-cooked meats and vegetables, eggs, spaghetti, and baked fish. Most people tend to chew more on one side of their mouth than the other.
However, one thing that most people fail to appreciate is just how much dentures will reduce their biting and chewing force, requiring sometimes significant modifications to the way they eat. People with dentures generally have a bite force that's a quarter or less what they had with natural teeth.
2. The bite force that dentures provide is much weaker than natural teeth and dental implants. This is because dentures rest over the gums, rather than teeth and implants whose roots are anchored to the jaw bone. Also, with traditional dentures, chewing capacity is decreased by 50%.
The biggest difference between natural teeth and dentures is bite force. With your natural teeth it is somewhere around 200-250 pounds of force. Some a little less, some a little more, but that's the sweet spot. With dentures, your bite force is about 50 pounds of force.
The spaces surrounding dentures are prime places for food to get stuck. Dentures can also slip out of place uncomfortably when you bite into hard foods.
If you want to know if your dentures will feel normal, the answer is yes. You may have recently gotten the teeth, or perhaps you are considering getting them. You might want to know what to expect. The good news is that today's prosthetics feel more natural than ever, and you can get accustomed to them quickly.
Cleaning with a normal toothbrush and toothpaste can be abrasive and cause damages, leading to an increased chance of bacteria forming and a displeasing look to your dentures. Abrasive toothpaste can also increase stain adherence on dentures.
Generally you should wear your dentures for at least 8 hours a day. This will give your gums and jawbone time to get used to the dentures and prevent sore spots from developing. It is best to take them out at night so that your gums can rest. You should also remove them for eating, drinking, brushing and flossing.
Avoid certain foods in the beginning – When you're first learning to chew with your dentures, you should avoid eating foods that you have to bite into like pizzas and burgers. These types of foods can easily dislodge your dentures. Sticky foods might also be problematic for new denture wearers.
Salty Snacks
If you find yourself craving something salty, remember that hard, sharp, or jagged pieces don't play nicely with dentures and can be uncomfortable if lodged in your mouth. Rather than reaching for chips or popcorn, lighter foods like crackers or vegetable sticks with dip are a better alternative.
There is nothing better than real, natural teeth – including dentures. When fitted properly, dentures can be a cost-effective tooth replacement, but they are not a one-time permanent solution. Dentures can shift, lead to bone loss, impact chewing and speech, and be uncomfortable at times.
Dentures can break easily. Although bridges are a better option than dentures, they need regular maintenance to prevent gum diseases. The surface under the bridge needs to be cleaned daily.
From a professional standpoint, dental implants are better than dentures because they maintain the anatomic and aesthetic structure of your face, mouth and jawbones. Also, dental implants are more comfortable because they can eliminate denture pain and irritation in the gums.
When wearing new dentures, you might feel that your dentures are too big or that your lips are being pushed forward, making it difficult to smile naturally. This “full-mouth” feeling is common when you first get new dentures and will subside once you become accustomed to wearing them.
Ideally, your dentures should support your lips and cheeks, but if they are too large, they can actually push your dentures outward, resulting in puffy lips and cheeks. The correct fitting of dentures can usually prevent this, but the denture flanges that go around the gums can cause puffiness for some people.
Normally, upper dentures cover the top of the mouth so thoroughly that a person's ability to taste and experience their food is diminished, not to mention hamper proper function.
For the first few days, it's okay to sleep in your dentures—your dental team may even recommend it. Once your mouth has adjusted to your dentures, you should remove them each night before sleeping.