{"id":198,"date":"2022-06-16T09:38:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T09:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/?p=198"},"modified":"2022-08-11T21:22:22","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T21:22:22","slug":"5-tips-for-eating-with-dentures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/16\/5-tips-for-eating-with-dentures\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Eating with Dentures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"dentures<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When you first get dentures, it\u2019s natural to feel excited after they\u2019re finally placed. You have your smile back<\/a>, so you\u2019re eager to go out and use your new pearly whites! However, you\u2019ll still need to be careful about your meals. After all, your new prosthetics don\u2019t act exactly like natural teeth \u2014 your muscles will have to adapt and adjust to them. That said, here are five tips to help make eating with dentures easier going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Begin with a Mechanical Soft Diet (for now)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Until you\u2019re more familiar with your replacement teeth\u2019s new sensations, you should eat a \u201cmechanical soft\u201d diet. As the name implies, this is a meal plan where food is mechanically altered by blending, chopping, grinding, or mashing. Hence, it helps you to chew and swallow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You won\u2019t lose out health-wise with this diet. Pureed foods like applesauce, pudding, cooked cereal, scrambled eggs, and mashed potatoes provide nutrition without compromising gums or stressing jaw muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check Your Foods\u2019 Temperature Beforehand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also want to be careful with hot foods when starting with dentures. Because you can\u2019t judge temperatures as well due to the prosthetics\u2019 insulating effect, you could burn your mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, there\u2019s a workaround. You can test hot foods on your lips before putting them in your mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eat Carefully<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve worked up to foods you can bite down on, use your canines instead of your front teeth. Otherwise, your dentures could move around and make your gums sore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When doing so, remember to distribute the food evenly on both sides of your mouth \u2014 doing so will help keep the dentures in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep Practicing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the saying goes, \u201cPractice makes perfect.\u201d Whether it takes days or weeks, you\u2019ll eventually get comfortable eating with dentures.  All it takes is continual practice as you get more familiar with the sensations and movements involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid Sticky, Chewy, and Spicy Foods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even as you become more confident in chewing and eating, you should still avoid sticky, chewy, and spicy foods. They can easily damage your dentures or irritate your mouth, causing significant discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, chewing gum, nuts, seeds, popcorn, and corn on the cob would not be a good choice, whether now or in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dentures may instantly return your smile, but using them for eating takes more effort. Still, by following the tips above, you\u2019ll get there in no time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Crossroads Family Dentistry<\/em><\/a> is based in Forest, VA<\/em>. As led by <\/em>Drs. Steven Hatch<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>James Peery<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Samuel Woolwine<\/em><\/a>, and <\/em>Carole Roberts<\/em><\/a>, the practice\u2019s team has 40+ years of combined experience in dentistry. Their services include preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dental treatments, including emergency procedures. Whatever you choose, rest assured that your smile will see high-quality results. <\/em>For more information or to book an appointment, reach the staff at <\/em>their website<\/em><\/a> or by phone at (434)-841-1704.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you first get dentures, it\u2019s natural to feel excited after they\u2019re finally placed. You have your smile back, so you\u2019re eager to go out and use your new pearly whites! However, you\u2019ll still need to be careful about your meals. After all, your new prosthetics don\u2019t act exactly like natural teeth \u2014 your muscles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203,"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions\/203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crossroadsfamilydentistryva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}