What Foods Can You Eat with Dentures?

If your teeth are damaged or missing, your ability to eat gets typically affected along with your appearance. Dentures can replace your missing teeth and give you back your beautiful smile. They are realistic false teeth made of a gum-colored base such as porcelain or resin (acrylic resin is one of the most popular materials for making them.) Due to modern technologies, they appear more natural than before, allowing you to eat all the food you could not due to missing teeth.

Most people who wear dentures find the biggest adjustment comes in the form of what they can or can not eat while wearing them. They have spaces around them which are prime spots for food particles to get stuck and form plaque. They are also prone to wear and tear or slipping out of place when you bite into hard food such as nuts.

Dentures take time to get used to, and a transition period is involved as you adjust to your new false teeth. 

What to Eat With Dentures

Your facial muscles will take a while to adjust to dentures, and you also produce more saliva initially, making them slippery. But over time, your lips, cheeks, and tongue get stronger and adjust to the dentures, and soreness and discomfort fade.

• Eat soft foods initially – You can transition better if you start with soft foods with new dentures. Some of the foods recommended during the first few days of wearing them are:
  • Apple sauce
  • mashed potatoes or other vegetables
  • porridge, 
  • eggs, 
  • Oatmeal
  • Pudding
  • Broths
  • Gelatin dessert
  • Yogurt
  • One thing to note here is you should be aware of the temperature of foods you are eating as dentures insulate your mouth and make it difficult to tell how cold or hot something is.
  • Do not hold hot liquids in your mouth for long, as they can loosen your dentures. It is advisable to swallow hot liquids as quickly as you find comfortable.
• Moving to solid foods – As your mouth adjusts to them within a few days, you can start including solid foods in your diet. But make sure you cut the food into smaller slices, so you do not have to chew them for long. 
  • Chew solid foods carefully so as not to damage them.
  • Chew on both sides of the denture, and do not rush through your meals.
  • Start with the following solid foods:
    • Soft bread
    • Rice
    • Pasta
    • Cooked greens
    • Baked beans
    • Soft fish without skin
  • Always drink something with your food so that food does not get stuck to your dentures.

What to Avoid Eating While Wearing Dentures

As you get used to your dentures and with a little help with denture adhesives to hold them in place, you might feel confident enough to move to harder solid foods. Though no type of food is completely banned with dentures, you must be careful while eating anything from the below-mentioned food groups. 

• Sticky foods – Eating sticky foods can dislodge dentures, and food can get underneath them. This could be uncomfortable and painful and require you to visit your dentist. Some sticky foods to avoid are gummies, peanut butter, dried fruits, marshmallows, toffee, lollies, etc. Food leftover in your mouth due to sticky food is also more difficult to remove and can cause tooth decay, gum diseases, and other dental issues.
• Tough meats – Meats require many bites to tenderize them, which can place undue pressure on your dentures. Too much grinding and chewing, you will get sore spots where dentures and gums meet. Meats like ribs, pork chops, steaks, etc., are some of the meats to avoid.
• Drinks and foods that can cause stains – Highly pigmented foods like red wine, coffee, dark sauces, berries, etc., can stain them and are best avoided. You should also avoid smoking while wearing dentures, as smoking raises risks for many dental issues.

If you do not feel like giving up on certain foods just because you have dentures, you can swap them. For example, swap raw fruits and veggies with smoothies, steak with minced meat, peanut butter for hummus, and nuts for grapes and olives. Ensure you visit your dentist if at any time you feel discomfort in your dentures so that any issue can be detected early and appropriate measures are taken by a dental professional.