Tips for Eating with New Dentures

Eating a healthy diet requires the ability to chew your food, which isn't an easy task if you've been fitted with new dentures.

Adjusting to life with dentures may take a little time. You should be able to chew most foods with dentures that fit properly, however you may need a little practice at first.

1.Start with a liquid diet that includes purees and soft foods such as apple sauce, puddings, cooked cereals, chopped cooked eggs and soup broth.

2.Be careful with hot liquids and foods so you don't burn your mouth. You won't be able to judge the temperatures properly due to the insulating quality of the denture.

3.Don't hold liquids in your mouth for a long time before swallowing. This can loosen bottom dentures.

4.In the beginning you might find that foods taste different with dentures. Your sense of taste should improve over time, as you become used to the denture in your mouth, the mind will be less distracted.

5.When you're ready to move on to solid foods, start with a mechanical soft diet. Be sure to cut your foods into very small pieces.

6.Distribute your food evenly on both sides in the back of your mouth when you chew, this will help keep your dentures more stable while you eat.

7.Chew slowly and thoroughly before you swallow - don't gulp down large pieces of unchewed food -- you could choke on them and it is hard on your digestive system.

8.Slice fresh fruits and vegetables into very thin slices or chop them into tiny pieces so they are easy to chew, or cook them before serving.

9.Whole grain breads and cereals are good for you, but they may stick to your teeth - eat them with liquids to make them easier to chew and swallow.

10.Replace tough red meats with poultry, fish, eggs and legumes, or choose stewed or slow-cooked meats.

11.Denture adhesives may help for eating foods that require a strong bite (like corn on the cob),but if you need to use adhesive you should see your denturist as there may be something he/she can do to help.

You should be able to eat almost anything, but there are some foods that may always be difficult to eat such as apples, foods that are hard, sticky or contain small particles. Be cautious with whole fresh fruits, hard crusty breads, tough red meats, peanut butter, chewing gum, sticky candy, fruits and berries with seeds, nuts and coconut.