Eating with new dentures will be challenging. It takes time for your gums and muscles to adjust. And you need time to get used to how your new dentures feel.
You’ll go through a transition period as you and your mouth ease into a life with new dentures. Before long, you’ll be able to eat nearly all the foods you enjoy. Your transformed smile will make all the temporary dietary changes worth the effort.
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The first rule of thumb when wearing new dentures is to “take it easy” with food.Your mouth and tongue need to learn how to work with your new dental appliance. Pressure from the dentures can cause sore gums, a problem that only gets worse if you don’t temporarily change your diet.
You’ll start slowly withsoft foodsthat don’t require excessive chewing and work up to solid foods. Eating anything hard, chewy, sticky, tough, or very crunchy will place undue stress on underlying gum and increase the risk of irritation and inflammation.
Soft Diet Suggestions
Among dairy, meat, and protein, try:
Among fruit, try:
And among starches, try:
Check with your dentist for recommendations based on your particular circumstance.
Dentures Can Alter TasteYou may find that certain foods taste different with dentures, particularly salty and bitter foods.Your sense of taste should improve over time.
Dentures Can Alter Taste
You may find that certain foods taste different with dentures, particularly salty and bitter foods.Your sense of taste should improve over time.
Eating Tips
The initial adjustment takes about two weeks. In addition to sticking with a soft diet, these tips for eating with new dentures will help:
Call your dentist if your mouth seems too dry, your dentures feel loose, or you develop severe gum sores.
Returning to Your Regular Diet
You can start returning to your regular foods as you get used to the dentures and your gums improve. When you’re ready to make the transition back to your regular diet, be sure to:
Traditional vs Implant-Supported Dentures
You’ll need to temporarily change how you eat with new dentures, whether you get traditional or implant-supported appliances.
Traditional dentures rest on your gums, creating a seal that holds them in place. Implant-supported dentures rely onimplants(small rods) inserted into the gums to hold them in place. Some implant-supported dentures snap in and out; others stay in place permanently.
No matter which type of denture you have, you’ll still go through an adjustment period that requires a soft diet.
Choose Adhesive CarefullyYour dentist may advise you to avoid adhesives during the adjustment period. Adhesives in glue form tend to provide the greatest stability but can make cleaning difficult. Adhesive seals and powders offer less stability but easier clean-up, reducing the risk of gum irritation.
Choose Adhesive Carefully
Your dentist may advise you to avoid adhesives during the adjustment period. Adhesives in glue form tend to provide the greatest stability but can make cleaning difficult. Adhesive seals and powders offer less stability but easier clean-up, reducing the risk of gum irritation.
Eating After Healing
Once you are fully adjusted to wearing dentures, you should be able to eat almost anything. However, there may be some foods that will always be difficult to eat, such as hard, sticky, and tough items.
Summary
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.Mechanical soft diet.
Srinath HP, Akula R, Maroli S, et al.Altered taste perception among complete denture patients.Indian J Oral Sci.2014;5(2):78-82. doi:10.4103/0976-6944.136845
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source.Oral Health.
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