What Can Be Difficult to Eat with Dentures?

Dentures are amazing restorative appliances that can replace entire arches of lost teeth with gorgeous and lifelike restorations. While these devices can make it much easier to enjoy a diverse, tasty, and wholesome diet that will help the body stay healthy and strong, some patients may have trouble chewing certain foods when wearing them. Here’s a quick look at a few foods that can be difficult to chew with dentures and how dental implants may be able to help.

What Foods Can Be Difficult to Chew with Dentures?

Several popular foods that can be difficult to chew when wearing dentures include:

• Steak: This cut of meat can be tough, so it might be best to cut it into small bites or soften it with gravy.
• Meat on the bone: The hard bones in ribs, wings, drumsticks, and the like can be dangerous for your artificial teeth. It’s best to cut the meat away from the bone and eat it with a fork.
• Corn on the cob: This sweet and smoky summertime treat can be stressful for your dentures, but you can still enjoy it after cutting the corn from the cob.
• Raw fruits and veggies: Biting into these can be tough on your artificial teeth. It’s best to enjoy these items in smaller bites or after cooking them to make them softer.
• Nuts and seeds: Chomping down on these hard snacks can crack your artificial teeth.
• Popcorn: Hulls can become stuck between your gums and your dentures, which can lead to irritation and infection. Biting into unpopped kernels can crack artificial teeth.

How Can Dental Implants Help?

Traditional dentures restore about 20% of the patient’s chewing power because they hold themselves in place within the mouth through natural suction, and they can lose their fit as the mouth changes shape over time. Implant dentures, on the other hand, are securely anchored to the jawbone with strong titanium rods, which allows them to restore about 80% of the patient’s original chewing power. This means implant dentures can handle any foods that natural teeth can, and they also last much longer than traditional appliances so they may save a patient lots of money in the long run.

About the Author

Dr. Chitra P. Naik earned her degree at the Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and attends monthly meetings with the Genesee District Dental Society as well as the Michigan Dental Association Conventions so she can keep her skills sharp and current. Her office in Flint offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as denture services. If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of dentures, contact the office online or dial (810) 235-5422.