The Denture Diet: What’s Off the Menu?

For someone who has lost multiple—if not all their teeth, dentures can be a life-altering treatment. They can restore both the look and function of your grin, letting you socialize with confidence and eat almost as well as you could with your natural teeth. Almost. The fact is, some foods are far more difficult to eat with dentures.

If you’d like to know the worst foods to tackle with your new dentures, continue reading. With this handy list, you can avoid the pitfalls that come with dining with your new prosthetic.

Sticky Candy

Suction is vital to the success of your dentures. It’s what keeps them against your gums. Sticky candy like gum, toffee, or caramel can break this suction, causing your dentures to slip or fall out entirely. It’s also very difficult to remove these sticky sugars from your prosthetics.

Instead, opt for soft treats like cakes, ice cream, yogurt, pudding, or soft fresh fruit.

Popcorn

If you’re a big movie-watcher, this one might be a huge blow to your enjoyment. Popcorn kernels are notorious for sticking in natural teeth. For dentures, however, they can pose an extra risk. Sometimes un-popped kernels can make their way under your prosthetic, causing pain or irritation.

If you have to have popcorn, you’ll need to be careful. Take small bites, be mindful of chewing, and clean and floss your dentures thoroughly right after.

Nuts

Nuts are normally a fantastic snack full of healthy fats and protein. However, for people who wear dentures, they can be a nightmare. Eating with dentures is all about balancing the food on both sides of your mouth to prevent them from popping off. Since nuts are typically very hard, they can be difficult to chew, especially if you’re new to wearing dentures.

Steak

Tough meats like steak pose a problem for denture-wearers. The most tender cuts of steak tend to be very expensive, so what’s left are the rather chewy bits. This can cause jaw pain and excess pressure on your gums when you have to chew each bite so thoroughly. Excessive chewing can also start to dislodge the ceramic teeth over time.

When eating steak, it’s best to cut it into small pieces or try different cooking methods such as slow cooking to make the meat more tender.

While dentures may limit or change the way you eat some of your favorite foods, they’re more than worth it. For the chance to restore your smile and increase your overall quality of life, a few diet modifications are trivial. If you have more questions about your dentures or other diet changes you may need to make, talk to your dentist. Eat well, smile more!

About the Author

Dr. Arabella Christian and Dr. Ross Katkowski are your professional and friendly dentists at Bristol Family Dental. They know what a great smile can do for a patient, and they strive to get it right every time with the latest dental technology and techniques. If you have questions, their attentive support staff is more than happy to answer them. To schedule a denture consultation, call (860) 589-2794 or visit the website to discover other services.