Before losing all your teeth, you enjoyed eating all of your favorite foods. When learning you would receive dentures to replace your missing teeth, you found out they would help you regain some of your bite force and allow you to eat more confidently. However, do you now struggle to eat normally and actually taste what is on your plate? If so, find out how these prosthetics can keep you from enjoying the flavors of your food and what you can do to fix it.
Sense of Taste: What Happens When Wearing Dentures?
If you’re like many people, your sense of taste is one you do not want to lose. Being able to taste a juicy steak, roasted vegetables, or a delectable tiramisu is not something you want to give up. However, when wearing dentures, this can become an unfortunate reality, and here is how:
- Denture Design: When crafting an upper denture, lab technicians usually design them to cover the roof of the mouth, which contains thousands of taste buds. As a result, your ability to know whether the food you’re eating is good or bad is hindered because these small receptors cannot transmit the information (what you’re tasting) to your brain.
- Food Debris: When you do not clean your dentures regularly, food debris can begin to accumulate, affecting your sense of taste and causing it to be unpleasant.
- Denture Adhesive: If you struggle to keep your dentures from slipping while eating, you may decide to use denture adhesive. Depending on the type you use and how much of it you apply, it can alter the taste of your food. Some individuals claim they develop a metallic taste in their mouth.
Ways to Address the Problem and Restore Your Ability to Taste
If you want to make sure that your dentures do not continue to keep you from your favorite meals, you’ll need to follow a few tips that dentists recommend, including:
- Keeping Your Dentures Clean: Removing food debris and dried saliva from your dentures is essential if you want to taste the food you eat. You can do this by regularly cleaning your artificial teeth after every meal and allowing them to soak overnight in denture cleaner.
- Have Your Dentures Relined or Replaced: When your dentures don’t fit right, you’re more likely to use adhesive products to help hold them in place. Since using too much of this can alter the taste of your food, it’s best to take your dentures and have them relined or replaced to ensure a proper fit.
- Switch to Dental Implants: If you no longer want to mess with dentures and what is required of them, you can ask your dentist about switching to dental implants. If you have enough jawbone density and are in good general oral and overall health, it’s possible you can receive these permanent prosthetics and enjoy all your favorite foods without anything getting in the way.
You have options when it comes to taking back your sense of taste. What you choose to do is something you and your dentist will need to discuss but know that no matter how you decide to proceed, eating the foods you love is possible again.
About the McCarl Dental Group at Shipley’s Choice
Our team at McCarl Dental Group at Shipley’s Choice is here to make sure all patients living with dentures have a positive experience. When a problem occurs, like one’s inability to taste food, we can provide beneficial solutions to remedy the issue so that the ability to eat freely is no longer a problem. If you want to learn more or have questions about eating with dentures, call our office or visit our website.