How to Adjust to Your Dentures With Ease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), severe tooth loss — defined as having eight or fewer teeth — impacts your ability to eat meats, fruits, and vegetables, and presents one more challenge to a healthy diet.

One-quarter (26%) of adults 65 or older have eight or fewer teeth, and more than one in seven (15%) of this population have lost all their teeth. This makes tooth restoration options of great importance for a healthy mouth and body.

At Manteca Dental Care in Manteca, California, Dr. Rick Van Tran and our team offer partial and full dentures to our patients who need them. Many patients are concerned about adjusting to their new teeth. Here, we have some tips that’ll make you want to smile.

What are dentures?

A denture is a replacement for missing teeth and the surrounding tissues. If you still have some natural teeth, Dr. Tran makes a partial denture with acrylic teeth fastened to a metal plate that slips in and out of your mouth. If you have no teeth remaining, he fashions a complete (or full) denture, which fits over your entire upper or lower arch.

With a partial denture, a fixed bridge replaces one or more teeth. Dr. Tran places crowns on your teeth on either side of the gap and cements a bridge of artificial teeth to them. Not only does a partial denture fill in your missing teeth, but it also prevents your other teeth from moving into the gap.

The teeth that make up a full denture are fashioned from acrylic and rest on your jaw. But since there’s nothing to hold the dentures firmly in place besides suction, they may slide, rock, or clack when you talk and eat. Adhesives like Poligrip® or Fixodent® are made to temporarily hold your denture to your gum tissue.

Complete dentures are made after all your remaining teeth are extracted and your gums have begun to heal. This takes 8-12 weeks. Since your gums will have shrunk by that time, Dr. Tran waits to make a mold of your mouth and send it to the lab, which manufactures your dentures.

Adjusting to your dentures with ease

Dentures replace your lost teeth, but they’re not the same as your natural teeth, and you have to get used to having them in your mouth.

It’s common to develop small patches of irritation and increased saliva production during the first week or so. Dr. Tran may need to make several adjustments until they feel right.

It may seem counterintuitive at first but try not to take your new dentures out too often. The longer you can wear them the first week or so, the shorter the time you’ll need to become accustomed to their feel and function.

Eating with dentures

Simple tasks like eating and talking may be challenging at first after getting dentures. You can reduce the stress on your jaw muscles by eating the right types of foods during the adjustment period. Try these tips:

Start with soft foods

If you don’t like baby food, you can puree some of your favorite fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, avocados, and apples. Bananas, pudding, and yogurt are great, too, since they’re easy to chew.

Eat small pieces

Cut your food into small pieces and chew gently, first on one side of the mouth, then the other. This will help you get used to using your whole mouth to eat. If your bottom plate rocks when you chew, ask Dr. Tran to adjust it.

Check the temperature

Sensing food temperature isn’t as easy when you get new dentures. Test if the food has cooled down enough by placing it on your lips first.

Avoid hard-to-chew foods

Biting into hard, crunchy, or sticky foods may be difficult and uncomfortable. You may not be able to eat some foods with dentures, like a hard apple, or any type of chewing gum.

Speaking with dentures

It may also be hard to speak when you get dentures, and you may have problems with "s" and "f" sounds. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make the process easier.

Practice speaking and reading aloud to yourself
Work with a friend after practicing to help you feel less self-conscious
Bite and swallow before speaking to reposition your dentures on your jaw

Remember that it’s normal for your dentures to feel awkward at first, and you may need some adjustments to help. With practice, though, you'll be able to eat, talk, and smile confidently.

Want more denture tips? Do you need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tran? Give Manteca Dental Care a call at 209-823-9218 or book an appointment online today.