3 Signs Your Dentures Are Making It Difficult to eat
one of the most important functions of your complete/partial dentures is to help you chew. If you are missing one or more teeth, whether it’s due to age, injury or oral disease, it’s important to have them replaced as soon as possible. Whether it’s partial/complete dentures or a tooth implant, accessing denture solutions right away has many benefits including:
· keeping your smile healthy, young and beautiful
· Helping you speak clearly and chew easily
· maintains a healthy, well-balanced diet
· restoring your appearance
When you get replacement teeth, you can’t expect to eat all the same foods you did with your natural teeth, but properly fitting complete/partial dentures should make it possible to eat most of them. If you are having difficulty enjoying the meals you once could, it may be a sign that your dentures need to be relined, repaired or replaced. Here are some signs to watch out for to know whether or not your dentures are efficient at chewing:
1. Your dentures don’t stay in place when you eat
One of the most obvious signs that your dentures are not helping you chew properly is that they keep slipping or coming loose when you eat. Of course, learning to eat with your dentures takes practice. As a first-time denture wearer, you will experience a few problems including:
· Your replacement teeth dislodging when you chew or bite down
· Mouth sores and blisters making it painful to chew
· Food collecting under your dentures
· Excess saliva production
However, if it has been over a month and your dentures still refuse to stay in place, then you need to visit your denturist as soon as possible.
2. Eating takes longer
Are you noticing that, even though your dentures stay in place when you chew and your food seems to get broken down, it’s taking you a lot longer to eat than it used to? While this is normal to some extent for denture wearers, if it is taking you too long to cut through your food, it may be a sign that your denture teeth have worn down or do not adhere to your gums as well as they used to.
Denture tip: Remember that dentures have a lifespan of about 5-7 years. In order to ensure they are functioning at their best, a reline is typically needed every 2-3 years.
3. You have digestive problems
Chewing properly is the first step in digestion and if your dentures aren’t doing their job, your well-being as a whole may suffer. Some common digestive issues denture wearers experience include:
· Heartburn or GERD
· Gassiness
· Constipation
· Upset stomach
Consider Implants
If you are having difficulty chewing and eating with your complete/partial dentures, you may want to talk to your denturist about denture implants. Because tooth implants are surgically placed in your jaw, implant- supported dentures function and feels more like natural teeth and won’t slip when you eat or put any restrictions on your food choice.