3 Tips for Adjusting to Eating with Your New Dentures

Getting dentures has many upsides, like restoring your ability to eat, speak, and smile with confidence, but getting used to wearing them takes some time. Eating with a new set of dentures may initially feel awkward, and certain foods can be challenging while your mouth gets accustomed to your new prosthesis. Just remember: practice and patience are the key to making the transition easier, along with these 3 tips!

1. Stick to Soft Foods at First

When you’re first getting used to your dentures, start out with soft foods that don’t require a lot of chewing. Scrambled eggs, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, tender fish – these are all easier to manage.

Cut food into small pieces and take your time chewing. Avoid starting with foods that are particularly hard, sticky, crunchy, or chewy. Nuts, popcorn, raw carrots, tough meats, and sticky candy can be difficult to manage and may cause discomfort or put unnecessary pressure on your dentures.

Gradually introduce more foods into your diet as you start to feel more assured eating with your new restoration.

2. Practice Chewing with Both Sides of Your Mouth

One of the biggest adjustments for new denture wearers is learning how to chew differently. After all, it’s a natural action you’ve been doing a certain way your whole life. With natural teeth, you may instinctively chew on one side of your mouth. With dentures, distributing food evenly between both sides can help provide greater stability.

Again, take smaller bites and chew slowly. Try to keep food balanced on both sides of your mouth rather than placing all the pressure on one side. Eating slowly also gives you more time to learn how your dentures respond to different foods and textures.

3. Patience is a Virtue

Learning to eat with dentures doesn’t happen overnight. Your gums, tongue, jaw muscles, and cheeks all need time to get acquainted with your restoration.

It’s normal to experience some initial soreness or increased saliva production. However, significant pain isn’t something you should simply tolerate. If your dentures repeatedly slip, cause painful sore spots, or make eating extremely difficult, contact your dentist.

Your dentures may need an adjustment to improve their fit and comfort. Over time, you should become more confident wearing them and eating a wider variety of foods.

Adjusting to dentures is a process, but you don’t have to give up your favorite foods forever. Start slowly, choose manageable foods, and gradually work your way toward a more varied diet. If you’re struggling to eat comfortably after getting dentures, don’t hesitate to talk to your dentist. A properly fitting set of dentures and a little practice can help you get back to enjoying meals with greater comfort and confidence.

About the Practice

If you’re tired of your diet or social life suffering because of missing teeth, we’d love to (literally) put a smile on your face with custom made dentures! Using the latest technology, our highly skilled team can outfit you with a partial, full, or implant denture depending on your needs. Schedule a consultation with us online or by calling our Hammonton office at (609) 561-0058.