The challenge of getting good nutrition with dentures is real. People with dentures often find their diet is low in nutrients because they can’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. What’s the solution? When a reader wrote to the Chicago Sun-Times, they responded by saying, “You need to put vegetables into the food processor before you eat them.”
We’re going to tell you that there’s another solution. You can get dentures that let you eat all the foods you need to stay healthy. You also won’t need to put them in the food processor first.
Why Traditional Dentures Limit Food Choices
Traditional dentures alter your chewing in fundamental ways. For one, dentures aren’t anchored in your jaw like natural teeth. As a result, they can’t give you the same force that you had with your natural teeth. You can’t bite down as hard when dentures rest on your gums. You also can’t use the efficient angled chewing style that you developed with your natural teeth. Instead, you have to chew straight up and down, which gives you limited ability to chew difficult foods.
That’s because traditional dentures stay in place with suction and assistance from denture adhesives. Suction isn’t a very effective way to hold dentures in place, and it depends critically on denture fit. Since most dentures fit poorly, they don’t have very strong suction. Plus, suction can be broken when food works its way under the denture, which is most common with fibrous foods like steak or with foods that start as small or break into small, hard pieces like seeds or nuts.
Food that works under your dentures also causes irritation and bad smells.
The Most Challenging Food For People With Dentures
If you wear dentures, it’s likely that you struggle your way through a lot of meals. You might even give up on eating certain foods as a whole because eating them is just not possible with dentures. Some of these foods include:
- Nut butter
- Crunchy fruits and vegetables
- Pork chops
- Steak
- Seeds and nuts
- Sticky candy
- Popcorn
- Pizza
The food listed above can be difficult to chew, easily get stuck in and under your dentures, and even dislodge your dentures. Instead of avoiding all of these delicious foods, or risk losing your dentures after biting into a large hamburger, you can actually just upgrade to better dentures!
An Alternative to the Food Processor: Better Dentures
If you’re wondering how to eat healthy with dentures, the best answer you will get is to blend your food in a food processor. This basically does much of the chewing for you. That way, you can eat the pre-chewed food, which still has the necessary nutrition you need, including vitamins, minerals, and protein.
Of course, many people are unhappy with this solution because it:
- Makes food look unappealing
- Can give food an unappealing texture or taste
- Adds an inconvenient extra step in eating
- Makes food go bad faster
- Isn’t an option when you’re not at home
But what other options are there? Do you change the way you eat or do you search for an alternative solution? We offer two alternative solutions—FOY® Dentures and implant dentures. Discover the differences between the two and which one might be right for you.
FOY® Dentures
First, FOY® Dentures are like traditional dentures in many ways, but their improved fit leads to superior suction that lets them function more like natural teeth. FOY® Dentures use neuromuscular principles to improve their fit and function as well as to support your facial features for a rejuvenated appearance. FOY® Dentures make eating feel more comfortable and secure. At the same time, they will also help you look younger and improve the appearance of your smile!
As a bonus, FOY® Dentures also slow down bone resorption which is a naturally occurring process after losing your natural teeth. This will help you preserve your youthful appearance for longer. Lastly, FOY® Dentures are not made like cheap dentures. They’re built to last. When you invest in FOY® Dentures, you’re investing in dentures that last for years to come before needing replacement.
Implant Dentures
Even more like natural teeth, though, is an implant denture. Implant dentures are anchored in your jawbone, like your natural teeth. This gives you chewing force and the ability to use the angled chewing technique you developed with your natural teeth. That way, you can eat all the foods you ate before, without extra food processing.
With implant dentures, all of the force from chewing is applied to the jaw bone, not the gums like with traditional dentures. This not only improves your chewing abilities, but it makes chewing more comfortable. You won’t experience denture sores or pain after chewing something too crunchy with help from implant dentures. Additionally, implant dentures help you retain jaw bone which will keep your face looking young!
Implant-Supported FOY® Dentures
If you want to experience the best of both worlds, we highly recommend implant-supported FOY® Dentures. Enjoy all the amazing benefits of FOY® Dentures combined with the extra support and stability of dental implants. With the power of these two procedures, you won’t have to second guess eating anything ever again.
Upgrade Your Dentures in Columbia, SC Today
When you decide that you are going to blend all your food before you eat it, you’ve decided to accept a lower quality of life. You might have a wider selection of food options, but still some limitations. You’ll have to eat most of your meals at home, and you’ll have to accept that you won’t get to enjoy the texture, taste, and outright pleasure of many foods.
But you do have other options. If you are looking for more functional dentures, please call (803) 781-9090 today for an appointment with a Columbia, SC denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
