Adjusting to your new dentures is never going to be a simple process. For those wearing dentures for the first time, an adjustment period of a few weeks will be required. This adjustment duration will allow patients wearing new dentures to understand everything about their restoration, from cleaning them correctly and keeping them securely in their mouth.
In addition, there are various tips available that tend to be very helpful when it comes to adapting you for a life with dentures.
Anticipate Initial Discomfort
As a general rule, it takes about thirty days to get adjusted to the dentures. The reason for this is that your soft tissues and gums have to get used to being in constant contact with the dentures. Although the denture adhesives used to keep your dentures firmly in place will provide some comfort, there will still be some amount of discomfort to adapt to with this new device. In addition, forceful chewing is going to cause further pain and irritation. The dentist can make adjustments to ensure some degree of comfort and function.
Soft Diet
Start consuming soft foods like pudding, crushed potatoes, and soups to allow yourself to get used to moving your mouth with the dentures. Soft foods won’t put the same force on gums that are healing and adjusting to dentures. Besides learning to speak with your dentures, you will have to eat without slipping your dentures out of place, biting your tongue, scraping your gums, or otherwise harming yourself.
Smaller Food Bites
Once you are ready to move on to more challenging foods, it is better to cut them into small, bite-sized pieces that you can easily chew with your back teeth. You should get used to the new chewing movement and adjust the force you use to chew until you can confidently bite without dislodging your dentures.
Don’t Use Front Teeth for Biting
It’s better to avoid biting semi-solid foods with your front teeth, as they may cause your dentures to become unstuck. So try to eat by cutting food into bite-size pieces that you can chew only with side or back teeth.
Completely Avoid Certain Foods
Hard candies, sticky caramels, and snacks like popcorn can make your dentures slide out of the mouth. Biting forcefully on these foods can not only cause your dentures to come loose, but solid foods can also damage these artificial teeth, making them crack or break. So it is advised to avoid munching on hard foods to prolong the life of your dentures.
We look forward to meeting you and developing a personalized plan to meet your denture requirements. Visit our office, Shepherd Dental, at 235 E Hildebrand Ave #100, San Antonio, TX 78212, or call (210) 820-0400 and schedule an appointment.
