Dentures give you the smile and confidence you miss when you lose your natural teeth. Despite this, they are not able to provide the same durability and function of regular teeth. This is why taking care of your dentures is of great importance.
The biggest issue denture wearers face is the adjustments they have to make in their menus. Some foods are no longer compatible, as they can possibly damage the dentures in the long run. As a guide, here are the top foods you should avoid if you have dentures:
Caffeine
We all know that a day would not be complete without your morning coffee or afternoon tea, but you should consider taking it in moderation when you wear dentures. Your dentures are just as susceptible to staining as natural teeth. In addition to this, caffeine is a known diuretic – it induces an increased level of body fluid excretion, which could lead to dehydration and possibly a dry mouth. This could be a problem since saliva is a natural lubricant that prevents friction between dentures and the gums.
If switching over to decaf is not an option, be sure to balance out caffeine intake with drinking lots of water to keep the salivary glands functioning properly.
Nuts and Seeds
While nuts and seeds are among the food groups with high nutritional value, we cannot just ignore the possibility of little bits lodging under your partial denture. Moreover, chewing on these snacks tend to put too much pressure on just one side of the mouth. This could dislodge the denture on the other side. Foods with small, hard-to-eat pieces such as popcorn kernels should be avoided.
Pitted olives, seedless grapes, and various berries are denture-friendly snacks that can be used as alternatives. You can also lean towards bread that has grains, whole wheat or rye, baked inside it.
Sticky Foods
Snacking on soft and chewy food can put you in a sticky situation, literally and figuratively. For denture wearers, nut spread is one food to avoid while eating. Denture problems can also arise from eating too much peanut brittle, toffee, caramel, and other candies. One way or another, you will end up uncomfortably trying to get it off the roof of your mouth, except your dentures are slipping. This will cause the dentures to shift around.
You can be creative and opt for other spreads such as tapenade or hummus. If you want some more sweets, try some sugar-free gum specialised for people with dentures.
Raw Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables bring vitamins into the body, so cutting them off your diet should not be an option. You can, however, tweak the way it is eaten. Fruits like apple and veggies like carrots, both of which are crunchy when raw, can be put in a juicer and made into a whole smoothie. Nabbing on corn-on-the-cob should also be avoided; simply cut the corn away from the cob to enjoy its freshness.
Chewing too hard on crunchy foods can destabilise the position of the dentures. Frequent destabilisation makes the fit looser through time.
Tough Meat
Digging into a large piece of steak sure seems tempting, but you have to make sure that everything is cut up into bite-size pieces before taking a plunge. Aside from the possibility of the meat fibres seeping in between the teeth, chewing on firm foods leave highly pressured spots on the dentures.
Not that steak is out of the equation, but you can always opt for ground meat, chicken, and fish which are easier to handle.
How Aesthetic Dentures Can Help With Broken Dentures
Having dentures should never be an excuse to enjoy the better things in life. You just need a little bit of patience and creativity to still enjoy the food you love.
Sometimes, it is inevitable that dentures get damaged after some time – we understand! People love to eat, and temptations are everywhere. If in any case that you have damaged your partial or full denture while eating, contact the team at Aesthetic Dentures today!
