How to Get used to Dentures

If you’ve lost some or all of your teeth, getting dentures makes it easy to regain your former quality of life. With dentures, you’ll be able to eat all the foods you love, regain confidence, and reclaim your smile.

Led by Linda K. Westmoreland, DDS, our team at Wedgewood Dental fits full and partial dentures, giving you the lifestyle and appearance you desire. When you receive your first pair of dentures, here’s what to expect as you adjust to living with dentures.

Adjusting and fitting your dentures

After being fitted for dentures, your mouth will take time to adjust. This is especially true if you recently lost your natural teeth, and your mouth is still healing.

After being fitted, it’s normal for the alignment of your dentures to shift slightly as your mouth gets used to them. You’ll come in for an office visit shortly after your first fitting, where our team checks the fit of your dentures and make any adjustments necessary.

Once your mouth gets used to your dentures, they’ll feel comfortable and look fully natural. You’ll continue to come in for routine dental checkups, like when you did with your original teeth, where our team will make any minor adjustments to your dentures as needed. You should make an appointment to come in immediately for refitting if your dentures ever feel loose.

Caring for your dentures and mouth

Getting dentures does not mean eschewing regular dental hygiene. You’ll need to clean your dentures and mouth just as you clean your natural teeth. 

Cleaning your dentures regularly will help them last longer as well as maintain the health of your gums and mouth. After every meal, you should take out and rinse your dentures.

At night, remove your dentures to sleep, and brush them with a soft toothbrush before soaking them in a special denture solution. After taking out your dentures, brush your gums and the inside of your mouth.

When reinserting your dentures in the morning, rinse them to remove the solution before carefully putting them back in your mouth. Be careful when you hold your dentures to make sure they maintain their shape and structure.

Eating with dentures

With dentures, you’ll be able to eat all your favorite foods that you enjoyed with your original teeth. You’ll experience an adjustment period as you relearn to chew using your new dentures.

Start with a liquid diet or only eating soft foods. Avoid very hot liquids or foods at first, as it’s harder to gauge the temperature of what you’re eating wearing dentures.

Begin by chewing slowly, as your mouth will need to get used to eating with dentures. Make sure you chew food thoroughly, using both sides of your mouth, before swallowing.

If needed, cut your food into tiny bites to make it easier to chew, and have plenty of liquids with your meals to wash down your food. As you get more used to eating, you can progress to harder and tougher foods.

Regain your quality of life with dentures

With the state-of-the-art dentures available today, there’s no reason you need to live with missing teeth. Once you’ve adjusted to living with dentures, you’ll feel better about yourself and be able to do everything you could with your natural teeth.

Based in Rolla and Salem, Missouri, our skilled team of dentists at Wedgewood Dental fits patients will full and partial dentures. To make an initial appointment to discuss your options, make an appointment online, or call our office.