Avoid certain foods in the beginning – When you're first learning to chew with your dentures, you should avoid eating foods that you have to bite into like pizzas and burgers. These types of foods can easily dislodge your dentures. Sticky foods might also be problematic for new denture wearers.
Carbonated drinks
The carbonation contained in sodas and sparkling water may cause irritation and bleeding in those who wear new dentures. The action of the carbonation against healing gum tissue may also delay or interrupt the healing process, which can make adjusting to new dentures even more difficult.
Avoid Hot Foods and Beverages
Drinking a steaming cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate may not be such a good idea for seniors who wear dentures.
Hard foods. Hard foods require your jaw and your dentures to apply uneven pressure. This can damage or dislodge dentures. Stay away from nuts, popcorn, apples, carrot sticks, and corn on the cob, except as an occasional treat.
To help keep your dentures clean and your mouth healthy, it is vital to use an antibacterial mouthwash. Choose an antibacterial mouthwash that contains fluoride to help protect your enamel. It should also include an antibacterial agent to destroy bacteria and help prevent plaque and tartar buildup.
Do not chew anything during the first 24 hours after denture placement. Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, milk, coffee, tea, broth, or Ensure®/Boost®.
Toothpaste is not intended to be used for denture cleaning and as a result can actually be harmful to your dentures. Opt for a denture cleanser and brush instead.
Learning to eat with new dentures requires time and patience. Before placing food in the mouth, bring the teeth together and swallow. This will help to seat the denture fully. Then place small bites of food in the mouth and chew it slowly on the side that seems the most natural and comfortable.
Hard foods: Chewing hard foods require your jaw and dentures to apply uneven pressure. This can dislodge or damage your dentures, so avoid nuts, popcorn, apples, raw carrot sticks and corn on the cob. Tough meats: Foods that require a lot of chewing place unnecessary stress on your dentures and gums.
It usually takes 3-4 weeks before you can master eating solid foods again. Once you return to solid foods, cut them into smaller than normal, bite-sized pieces in order to make chewing more comfortable and manageable.
Give yourself at least 7 to 14 days to get used to wearing the dentures before progressing to more solid foods such as well-cooked meats and vegetables, eggs, spaghetti, and baked fish. Most people tend to chew more on one side of their mouth than the other.
It can take a few weeks to adjust to dentures, but once your mouth is strong, you can eat just about any food. There will always be some foods that aren't denture-friendly, like chewing gum, popcorn, whole nuts, steak, and sticky candy.
Generally you should wear your dentures for at least 8 hours a day. This will give your gums and jawbone time to get used to the dentures and prevent sore spots from developing. It is best to take them out at night so that your gums can rest. You should also remove them for eating, drinking, brushing and flossing.
Tips for First Time Denture Wearers
Choose liquids. You may feel a little uncomfortable chowing down on food, so go for soups, smoothies, puddings, applesauce and other liquefied food in those first few days.
You can use proprietary denture cleaning tablets or solutions ( eg. Steradent) to help loosen and remove stains and deposits. However, you should avoid leaving the dentures in the solution overnight. A 10-minute soak once or twice a week should be sufficient.
Some of the best toothpaste for dentures include Fresh 'n Brite, Polident Dentu-Creme, and Dr. B Dental Solutions. If you use the best toothpaste for dentures, they always remain in perfect condition. Dentures should not be soaked in bleach, as some bleach may change your dentures' base color.
5. How often can I use Polident Denture Cleanser? Polident Cleanser is recommended for daily use.
Dentures tend to resist discoloration better than natural teeth. However, if you drink coffee regularly and do nothing to remove it from your dentures, it can eventually leave behind stains. You don't have to give up your morning cup of joe to keep your dentures looking their best.
Salty Snacks
If you find yourself craving something salty, remember that hard, sharp, or jagged pieces don't play nicely with dentures and can be uncomfortable if lodged in your mouth. Rather than reaching for chips or popcorn, lighter foods like crackers or vegetable sticks with dip are a better alternative.
It's important that you don't remove your dentures during the first 24 hours so the gums have a chance to heal. Your full dentures act much like a bandaid during your first day, which is why you'll even need to wear your dentures to bed. After 24 hours, we highly recommend removing your dentures before going to sleep.
Removable partial or full dentures require proper care to keep them clean, free from stains and looking their best. For good denture care: Remove and rinse dentures after eating.
If not removed with regular and thorough cleaning, bacteria reproduce and accumulate on your dentures, causing a foul odor to develop. Also, if you have a dry mouth—which can be an issue for denture wearers, because they tend to produce less saliva—then this can also lead to bad breath.
You should brush your tongue after you're done cleaning your dentures. Brush using a non-abrasive toothpaste and making small circle motions on the tongue. Be sure that you brush the sides of the tongue in addition to the top. Doing this will make sure you get rid of bacteria and help freshen your mouth.