If you replace your missing teeth with dentures, your quality of life will improve in various ways. In particular, your new prosthesis will allow you to enjoy all sorts of foods that you might have trouble eating without teeth. However, while dentures can significantly expand your diet, they could also have an impact on your nutrition. Below is a brief overview of what you need to keep in mind if you want to maintain a nutritious diet after getting dentures.
What Effect Can Dentures Have on Nutrition?
One of the drawbacks of dentures is that they don’t provide as much chewing power as your natural teeth. This can make it difficult to eat certain foods, such as tougher meats or hard fruits and vegetables. You may start avoiding the foods you’re having trouble with, which unfortunately might include those that contain important nutrients. Needless to say, limiting the range of foods you choose to eat can make it harder to maintain good nutrition.
Furthermore, the reduced bite force of dentures can make it harder to chew properly. This is a problem because the purpose of chewing is to break pieces of food down so that the stomach can digest them more easily. If the pieces of food are too large, they’ll be harder to digest, and your body won’t be able to absorb as many nutrients.
What Can You Do to Get Better Nutrition with Dentures?
The good news is that there are several steps you can take to improve the nutrition you’re able to get with dentures:
- Add More Healthy Soft Foods to Your Diet: There are plenty of examples of nutritious soft foods that don’t require a lot of chewing, including mashed potatoes, broiled fish, and bananas.
- Cut Tougher Foods Into Smaller Pieces: It will generally be easier to chew your food properly with dentures if you avoid taking large bites.
- Chew on Both Sides of the Mouth: You’re likely used to chewing on just one side of the mouth, but people with dentures often benefit from chewing on both sides evenly.
- Consider Upgrading to Implant Dentures: Attaching dentures to dental implants can significantly enhance their stability and chewing power, which can go a long way toward improving your ability to maintain good nutrition. If you speak to your dentist, they can determine whether you’re a good candidate for implant dentures.
As long as you’re aware of the impact that dentures can have on nutrition and take the appropriate steps to address it, you can continue to enjoy the benefits of your replacement teeth while protecting your overall health.
About the Practice
At Burncoat Family Dental, we have been helping patients in Worcester enjoy high-quality care for over 50 years. Our unique approach to dentistry involves putting patients first and making good use of the latest technology. We offer personalized dentures and sturdy dental implants for patients who have lost multiple teeth. If you’re looking for a way to fill in the empty space in your smile, you can schedule an appointment at our practice by visiting our website or calling (508) 852-0168.