Dentures Tips: 5 Ways to Smoothly Adjust

The dentures your grandparents may have worn are not the same type of dentures you’re being fitted with today. Modern technology has made dentures much more comfortable and easy to wear than in the past. 

Our team of board-certified dentists is ready to fit you for today’s modern dentures at K Street Dental. Here’s what we want our patients to know about life with dentures. 

Dentures have benefits 

If you’ve experienced tooth loss through an illness, accident, or disease, dentures are one way to protect your oral and general health. Leaving a gap between teeth isn’t a good idea. Even one missing tooth can cause bone loss in your jaw, and your jawbone is needed to support your dentures. 

Missing teeth make it more difficult to chew food and even to speak. Gum tissue may become more easily infected. Your face experiences changes and your lips and mouth may start to sink in if you’re missing teeth, making you appear decades older than you are. Dentures help avoid these problems. 

To fit you with dentures made to fit your mouth perfectly, K Street Dental takes a cast of your mouth. Your dentures are made in a lab to the exact specifications of the cast. Our team shows you how to keep your dentures clean and free from potentially harmful oral bacteria.

Following are five tips to help you adjust to your new dentures. 

Practice at home

Practice eating at home before eating at a restaurant in public. There’s an adjustment period when using any new accessory or device, and dentures are no different. Eventually, the dentures start to feel like a part of you and become a part of your daily routine. 

Stick with soft foods first 

While your gums are healing, it’s best to stick with soft foods like scrambled eggs and protein shakes. They don’t put heavy pressure on your gums, so you’re limiting any discomfort. If your gums have sore spots, rinse with salt water to help cleanse and heal them. 

Small bites 

When getting used to your dentures, take small bites that you can chew easily. You’ll come to feel the amount of pressure needed to chew your food so that you don’t pop out the dentures. 

Bite on the side teeth

If you already bite your food with your side or back teeth, you’ve already made this adjustment. Biting with your front teeth might unhinge your dentures in the back of your mouth. 

Avoid sticky foods

You’ll want to avoid sticky caramels and crunchy foods like popcorn that have a hard center. These types of foods could cause your dentures to shift or pop out. 

Once you’ve adjusted to your dentures, you can light up the day with your bright, white smile. Call K Street Dental or book an appointment online today for all of your general and cosmetic dental needs.