Dentures – What Can I Eat?
Dentures restore your ability to smile, eat, and communicate properly. However, as wonderful as they are, it’s often easy to overlook that these are not your real teeth. They will never work identically to your natural ones. To avoid causing them harm, you must exercise caution with the foods you eat, beverages you drink, and how you maintain them. Here are some recommendations to help you wear dentures successfully and keep them in good condition:
Further read Plastic Vs Metallic Dentures.
- Foods to Be Careful with – You must try to avoid or be careful in eating the following:
- Acidic Foods – Foods like fruits and citrus juices are acidic and can damage the surface of teeth and dentures. Always rinse after consuming acidic foods and drinks.
- Sugary foods – Zinc toxicity, Overly sweet and sticky foods can make your dentures shift in your mouth
- Dehydrating Foods – Liquor, tea, coffee and such should be avoided because they tend to dehydrate you, which is damaging to the acrylic your dentures are made out of.
- Foods to Absolutely Avoid – These foods can not only damage your temporary dentures but can also lead to discomfort or pain:
- Nuts & Seeds – Foods that your natural teeth cannot chew and grind should be avoided with dentures. These not only physically damage your dentures but can get stuck in and around them. Fruit with seeds, such as guava, should be avoided.
- Hard-to-Chew Foods – Underdone or tough meats require lots of bites to tenderize them and causes stress on gums and dentures. Popcorn and dry fruit also fit into this category.
- Hard candy – Eating these can cause uneven pressure on your jaw and dentures and cause breakage.
Dentures need additional care, but exercising caution will preserve their appearance and maintain a proper fit for an extended period of time. Bear the following tips in mind:
- Even healthy and recommended food can leave your dentures exposed to food particles. Remove and rinse them after each time you eat.
- Dentures are generally made of acrylic and although strong, tend to be brittle. If dropped accidently, they could crack or even break. Should this happen, they can not be repaired or used again. Be careful when you handle them or do so over a towel.
- Follow a consistent routine of cleaning your mouth each time you take out your dentures. Food particles and substances left in your mouth stays under the denture and will lead to infection.
- Brush your dentures at least once a day to keep them clean.
- Keep your dentures soaking in a recommended solution or clean water when you take them out at night. They will dry up and warp out of shape which will make them no longer fit snugly.
- Don’t forget to rinse your dentures every time before you put them in your mouth, especially if they have been in a soaking solution overnight.
If you believe that partial or complete dentures are a viable choice for restoring your wonderful smile, or if you would like to hear other alternatives, please contact our Orange County dental office in Newport Beach, CA. Dr. Aarti Puri, DDS, and our devoted staff will ensure that you have the finest dental experience possible. We are located close to Huntington Beach in Orange County, California. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
- The Book of General Ignorance https://archive.org/details/bookofgeneralign00lloy
- Dentures, 1790–1799
