Getting dentures can change your life for the better. Dentures can give you confidence in your smile, make it easier to enjoy food, and even drastically improve your overall health.

Before you get dentures, it’s important to understand that there’s an adjustment period. You’ll need to practice eating and talking—dentures dramatically change your mouth. You’ll also need to learn some new oral hygiene routines and may experience soreness during the adjustment period.

There’s good news, though—once you’ve adjusted to your dentures, the awkwardness and discomfort will subside. Soon enough, you’ll hardly even notice your dentures are there.

With that in mind, we’re here to give you some information to chew on; here are our tips for adjusting to life with dentures:

Understanding The Adjustment Period

Adjusting to dentures takes time—the process may take several months. Here’s how it breaks down for most patients:

Week 1: This is usually the most challenging period—both you and your mouth need to adjust to the dentures. You can expect discomfort, gagging, soreness, and difficulties eating, drinking, and speaking. You may also experience excessive saliva production. This is the period in which your dentist will make the most adjustments to your dentures. It’s all manageable, though—and in the next sections, we’ll give you tips on how.
Month 1: Most people have adjusted to their dentures somewhat at this point; chewing can still feel a bit awkward, however. Your speech will have improved, and you’ll experience less discomfort and less difficulty speaking.
Months 2-6: Eating and speaking should be quite comfortable now, and discomfort will have dramatically subsided, if it still exists at all. During this period, your dentist may reline your dentures.
Month 6 and onward: You should be well adjusted to your dentures at this point; your speaking and eating should be unbothered, there should be no discomfort, and your oral health routines should be well-established. After this, you’ll only need occasional relinings.

Tips For Speaking With Dentures

Speaking with dentures can be challenging at first. You may hear clicking sounds when you speak, and many patients have difficulties pronouncing “F” and “S” sounds. You may also feel like you’re talking louder than normal. Here are a few ways to improve these problems:

Practice, practice, practice: Speak to yourself, speak to your closest loved ones, speak anytime you won’t feel embarrassed—and even at times when you might. For a challenge, you can practice tongue twisters; they’ll help you enunciate different letters more clearly.
Start slowly: To prevent the clicking sound that can occur, and to help you master each sound you make, we recommend speaking slowly and deliberately until you’ve gotten the hang of things.
Bite down and swallow: Biting down gently and then swallowing before speaking can help set your dentures in the correct position—and that makes everything else that much easier.
Don’t worry too much about volume: Dentures make many people feel like they’re speaking too loudly. That’s because dentures change your mouth’s anatomy, which affects sounds—and how you hear yourself. Typically, you’ll find changes to your voice more dramatic than other people, and you’ll adjust soon enough, so don’t worry—you’re probably not shouting.

Tips For Eating With Dentures

Wearing partial or complete dentures will change how you eat—from how you bite and chew to your saliva production (at first). Fortunately, there are a few ways to adjust and relearn how to chew and eat:

Start with soft foods. Softer foods are easier to chew; they’re also easier on the soft tissues, like your gums and the roof of your mouth, which are likely to be sore in the first few weeks. When you first start wearing dentures, soup, smoothies, and other liquid foods are best.

Keep it cool. You may find it hard to detect the temperature of your food at first because dentures can insulate the roof of your mouth. Feel your food with your lips and tongue before eating it to avoid burns. Avoid holding hot liquid in your mouth, too—it can loosen your dentures.
Avoid spicy or sour food at first. Your mouth may have developed sores and irritation—spicy or sour food can further irritate your mouth.
Avoid sticky foods. Gum, taffy, peanut butter, and similar foods can dislodge your dentures.
Start slowly, go small, and chew food carefully. Cut your food into small pieces, take the time to chew on every piece, chew on both sides of your mouth, and pace yourself. By being deliberate and mindful about your eating, you’ll quickly improve your eating skills.

Managing Discomfort And Soreness

One of the points of dentures is to improve your overall oral health. By learning to use dentures properly, you can actually reduce discomfort and soreness when compared to having missing teeth or seriously damaged natural teeth.

At first, however, discomfort and soreness will be a problem. You can improve these problems in a few ways:

Remove your partial dentures at night.
Use a salt rinse (especially after a tooth extraction).
Clean your dentures.
Use over-the-counter pain relief medication when necessary.

After a short while—and some follow-up appointments with your dentist—the discomfort from your new dentures will disappear.

Maintaining Oral Hygiene With Dentures

Oral hygiene is just as important with dentures as it is with a full set of natural teeth. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Handle your dentures with care. Be gentle with them, and don’t bend the clasps.
Rinse your dentures after eating. A quick rinse under the tap to dislodge food particles is all you need; pad your sink so that you won’t break your dentures if you drop them.
Brush your teeth and mouth after removing your dentures. You’ll want to use a soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste on your natural teeth, tongue, cheeks, and the roof of your mouth.
Brush your dentures every day. Use a soft-bristled brush and a denture cleanser.
Soak your dentures overnight. A denture cleanser will help you get the best results.
Rinse your dentures before putting them back in your mouth.
Visit your dentist for each of your scheduled follow-up appointments. They’ll keep tabs on your oral health and adjust your dentures as necessary.

Building Confidence With Dentures

By following the above tips, you’ll quickly adjust to life with dentures—and from there, live a happier, healthier life.
Looking for a dentist Winnipeg residents can trust with dentures, from the initial fitting to adjustments, advice, and more? You’re in the right place; contact Fresh Dental for dentures today.