Denture Info

EATING WITH DENTURES

By: Ann Sue von Gonton, D.D.S.

& Linda R. Albright, D.D.S.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PATIENTS

Perhaps the greatest challenge you will face with your new dentures is learning how to eat.  It has been shown that eating with dentures is at best only 25 percent as effective as eating with natural teeth.  Artificial teeth, like artificial legs and arms, are not efficient replacements for what has been lost.

New eating skills must be developed and will require a great deal of effort and patience on your part.  Some people learn how to eat in a matter of weeks; others may have to allow six months to a year to develop the skills necessary to eat.  It is important to realize that the responsibility of learning to eat with dentures is a difficult one, and it rests entirely with you.

However, the following basic guidelines have been designed to assist you in the development of these skills.  After receiving your dentures, it is advisable to plan a soft diet the first several weeks until you feel comfortable enough to tackle firmer foods.

Recommended soft foods include well-cooked cereals, boiled eggs and very tender or ground meats.  The use of an electric blender to puree and liquefy food may be an excellent aid in the preparation of your food.

When eating with dentures, it is best to avoid foods which need incising.  The front teeth are placed in the denture for appearance only and should not be used for biting.  If you attempt to eat items such as apples or corn on the cob, as you formerly did with natural teeth, you will place abnormal stresses on the underlying gum tissue and remaining bone.  These heavy biting forces may cause soreness and unnecessary damage to the supporting structures which may eventually result in an increase in the destruction of these structures.

Tearing or biting food off with the front teeth tends to unseat dentures.  Instead, cut apples up into small pieces with a knife and fork or cut corn off the cob with a knife and chew these foods with your back teeth.

As an alternative method of incising or biting off foods such as raw vegetables with your front teeth, shift the food to you premolar or side teeth area which is nearer the corners of your mouth.  This may still result in unseating your dentures and should, therefore, be avoided whenever possible.

Most people with natural teeth tend to chew on one side at a time.  However, artificial teeth have shortcomings requiring modifications in the normal eating pattern.  If food is chewed on one side, a denture may “tip” and become unseated.  Divide food into mouth so that there is food on both sides.  Then attempt to chew with a straight up and down motion.  This will help prevent the dentures from becoming dislodged and from sliding.

On extremely easy-to-bite foods, try applying pressure against the back sides of the front teeth while closing slowly.  This is particularly helpful with sandwiches.  When selecting sandwiches, avoid sticky (peanut butter) or hard to chew (hard salami) ingredients.  Also, cut the sandwich into smaller pieces than usual.

Tactile sense and taste

Since you will have more difficulty feeling things in your mouth when you wear dentures, take special precautions with small poultry or fish bones so they are not accidentally swallowed.

Occasionally denture wearers will complain that food no longer tastes as good as it did when they were eating with natural teeth.  Since dentures do not cover the taste buds which are located in the back of the tongue, taste should not be affected.  What may occur is that the plastic of the denture does not conduct heat or cold well and this may have some effect on the taste of foods.

You may be able to compensate for the change in taste perception by using herbs and condiments for flavoring.  By serving foods hot, you may be more aware of the food smell and this may be helpful in compensating for the apparent loss in taste.

Patience is Important

Extra chewing is required with dentures.  In fact, the number of chews needed to prepare equal portions of food for swallowing has been estimated as double that required with natural teeth.  Therefore, take small bites and chew each bite thoroughly.  Don’t try to pull or break off food with artificial teeth.

Chew slowly and evenly so you grow accustomed to managing your dentures and to the pressure on the gums when chewing or biting.  As your skills develop, you may want to attempt more difficult foods.

It has been suggested that the longer you take to eat your meals at first, the quicker you will master your dentures. Remember that eating is a skill you will need to relearn.  Allow yourself the time and patience it takes to develop these skills.

THINK HEALTHY

By: Marc Wagenseil D.D., R.D.T.,

Heritage Denture Centre

DENTURES:  PROBLEMS OR PLEASURES?

With today’s dental care, people are given the opportunity to preserve their natural teeth more so than in years past. Unfortunately, even with advances, such as fluoride, people do still lose their natural teeth.  This introduces us to partial dentures (replacing some of the natural teeth missing in either jaw) and complete dentures (replacing all natural teeth).  Dentures are an appliance which are fabricated to fit and function inside the oral environment in the human body.  As such, they are subject to tremendous influences and stress.  Many people can experience problems with their dentures, ranging from sore ridge areas, a sore jaw, loose uncomfortable dentures, food getting underneath the dentures, poor chewing ability, sunken-in appearance, or excessive wrinkling of the face.  Dentures, like all man-made things, require maintenance.  Yes, there are those who can boast they have worn dentures for “thirty” years with no problems or maintenance. One of the largest misconceptions is that something has to hurt in the mouth for there to be a problem.  Ridges in the mouth and underlying bone can soften and recede with no pain or sensation leaving soft, mobile ridges or no ridges left at all to support the dentures.  Thus, regular denture checkups are imperative to ensure trouble-free usage.

If a minor sore develops, it is possible it could have been triggered by a seed or excessive chewing pressure.  If it persists for several days, have the area examined before a more developed sore evolves.  At that point, longer healing time is required, affecting the dentures fit and the patients ability to chew properly.  Rinsing with a mild salt water solution is soothing to the inflamed area and promotes healing.

After time, the tissues in the mouth do change shape and to maintain proper ridge and underlying bone support, relines must be performed.  Relines should be done about every two years or the ridges can soften and result in the loss of underlying bone support.  Well fitted dentures prevent food from working its way underneath the denture, tipping of the dentures during chewing, loosening during speaking, and maintaining proper height relationship of the jaws.  This last point is important.  As mentioned, tissues in the mouth change with time and the ridges do recede.  The dentures also slowly settle, increasing the space between the dentures.  This results in a sensation that the lower jaw closes too much before the teeth come into contact.  This makes the lower jaw appear “pointy” or protrusive and muscles of the face appear to sag.  When this happens, the lower jaw is closing too much and it in turn stresses the TMJ joints.  These are the joints where the lower jaw attaches to the skull.  It is located in front of each ear.  Damage to these joints can cause pain, ringing in the ears, popping, or grating in the joint, neck pains, fatigued facial muscles, and even tingling in the fingers.  Once these joints become damaged, it can be difficult to correct them, therefore proper denture maintenance is a must!

Daily cleaning of dentures is important not only for hygienic reasons, but also for preventing denture sores.  Soiled dentures can irritate the tissues in the mouth.  Dentures should be cleaned after every meal but this may not be practical, so cleaning should be done morning and evening Dentures may be soaked in a store bought cleaner following their directions, or you can try a milder vinegar and water solution.  Dentures with a soft liner shouldnever be soaked in cleaner for more than 10 to 15 minutes.  The cleaning solutions are damaging to the liner. Overnight soaking can be done in plain water.  When using a brush to clean the dentures never aggressively scrub the inside fitting surface of the dentures.  This can wear down the acrylic and affect the fitting surface by polishing it to a smooth finish.  To clean, the inside of the denture can be held under running water and if necessary gentlebrushing can remove any debris.  Always remember dentures are slippery when wet, so fill the sink with some water or brush them over a towel, in case you drop them.  The mouth also requires cleaning.  Natural teeth should be brushed and flossed daily and those with complete dentures should rinse the mouth with water or mouth wash. You should also brush the gums with a soft bristled toothbrush.  This promotes blood flow which is good for the health of the tissues and underlying bone.  Denture wearing can be a pleasurable experience if proper maintenance is performed.  This includes daily cleaning of the mouth and dentures and yearly dental checkups.  If in doubt, always consult your dental professional.  Wishing you problem free chewing!