5 Tips for Adjusting to Life With Dentures

Dentures are an affordable option for replacing missing teeth. 

At Solay Dental in Oldsmar, Florida, our skilled dentist Dr. Shiva Soleimani provides full and partial dentures to restore your smile and your confidence. Though we do everything possible to make sure your dentures perfectly fit your mouth, they can take some time to get used to. 

Here, we want to share some tips on adjusting to life with dentures. 

1. Wear your dentures daily

Wearing your dentures is how you get used to them. It also helps you identify when you need an adjustment. It can take weeks or months for you to get used to your dentures and we may need to make several adjustments until they fit just right. 

2. Eat soft foods

You may experience gum and mouth soreness during the first few weeks or even months of wearing your dentures. Eat soft foods to lessen the irritation and pain that comes with your new restorative dental device. Oatmeal, soup, ground meat, and mashed potatoes are some examples of soft foods you may find easier to eat with your new dentures.

3. Use salt water rinse for soreness

Gum soreness is an unfortunate side effect you may experience with your new dentures. This type of pain, however, means it’s time to schedule an appointment for an adjustment. Dentures feel awkward at first, but shouldn’t cause pain.

In the meantime, we recommend using a salt water rinse up to five times a day to ease the soreness and support the healing.

4. Practice eating and speaking

Better eating and speaking are some of the benefits you get with dentures, but it may take practice to learn how to eat and speak with your new dental appliance. 

Eating soft foods is a good place to start, but you want to gradually add your usual foods as you get used to your dentures to improve your eating skills.

You may have a hard time saying certain words with your new dentures. Practice the more difficult words when you’re alone, speaking them slowly and deliberately to improve your speech. If your dentures move around when you talk or laugh, bite down and swallow to move them back in place.

If you feel like your dentures are too loose for eating and speaking, schedule an appointment so we can make an adjustment. 

5. Develop an oral care routine

Taking care of your dentures can help them last many years. Remove your dentures and clean them before you go to sleep. Brush them with denture toothpaste and a toothbrush, and then place them in a clean container filled with denture cleaner.

You also need to keep your mouth healthy. Before you put your dentures back in, clean your gums, tongue, and the roof of your mouth with a soft cloth and toothpaste to remove plaque.

Dentures can change your life, but it may not happen overnight. We can talk to you about dentures and how to get started. Call our office today or click the book online button to schedule a consultation.