Patients affected by tooth loss can find it difficult to chew certain foods due to the gaps in their smiles. Without any teeth, maintaining a completely soft diet is crucial. In fact, it’s for this reason that people living with missing teeth are at a higher likelihood of suffering from malnutrition. While traditional dentures aren’t able to restore your full chewing power, they are able to impact the types of food you eat and your nutrition, which you can learn more about by reading below.
How Do Traditional Dentures Work?
Traditional dentures can be designed in two different ways: full dentures rest atop the gumline to replace an entire row of teeth, while partial dentures fit like a puzzle piece between your existing teeth to fill in the missing spaces. Both types of dentures lead to similar results—a complete smile that looks and feels healthier and more functional.
For patients who are looking for an answer to tooth loss that doesn’t rely on natural suction or existing teeth to stay in place, implant dentures are also available. This treatment replaces the entire structure of the missing teeth, including the roots, for an unwavering result that can restore up to 80 percent of your natural chewing force.
Can Getting Dentures Benefit Your Nutrition?
If you’ve been sticking to a soft diet or drastically limiting the types of foods you eat due to tooth loss, getting dentures can help expand your diet. Although traditional dentures won’t restore your natural bite force, they improve this step of the digestion process greatly. Chewing your food is the first step of your body breaking it down into smaller molecules that can be easily absorbed by your cells and used to fuel your body. So, when your chewing abilities improve, so does your nutrition!
Instead of maintaining a soft diet, you can eat a variety of foods, including different types of proteins, to add variety to your diet and ensure you’re receiving necessary nutrients to maintain good health. However, keep in mind that you’ll likely need to cut foods into smaller pieces to make them easier to chew, especially tougher proteins like steak and chicken.
Will Dentures Impact the Foods You Can Eat?
If you’re going from having missing teeth to getting dentures, then you’ll be able to increase your diet from eating solely soft foods to chewier ones. However, you’ll also want to steer clear of or be careful eating the following foods:
- Hard foods like popcorn kernels, raw carrots, and fresh apples.
- Sticky foods like marshmallows, peanut butter, and caramel.
- Tough meats like steak and pork chops.
- Foods that can stain your dentures, like red wine, coffee, and tomato-based sauces.
The good news is that if your dentures become stained or sustain minor damage, your dentist in Dallas can easily repair them to look like new! Plus, with regular maintenance and routine cleanings, they’ll continue to serve you well.
Although you will face some limitations with traditional dentures, your diet and overall nutrition will dramatically improve with your new prosthetic. By increasing the types of foods you can eat as well as improving your chewing abilities, you’ll notice a big difference in your health and overall happiness!
About the Author
Dr. Arrechea has been practicing dentistry for over 20 years, with several of those years being spent working at Glidewell Dental Lab. Being trained in a laboratory gave her a sharp eye for detail that allows her to craft perfectly-fitted, beautiful dentures to restore smiles. She also offers cutting-edge implant dentures to patients looking for a more permanent tooth replacement solution. For questions or to schedule a consultation, visit Daily Smiles Dental Dallas’ website or call 214-624-6221.