Dietary Danger: Do Dentures Impact My Nutrition?

Tooth loss can detract from your daily quality of life in several ways. Not only might you feel self-conscious about the changes to your looks, but you could also develop speech impediments or changes to your diet.

Thankfully, your dentist can provide lifelike dentures to restore your smile’s appearance and functionality, regardless of how many teeth have gone missing. However, many patients want to know whether these prosthetics improve their nutritional health. If you’re curious, continue reading to learn more about it!

How Do Dentures Impact My Bite Force?

You rely on two complete arches to pulverize your meals sufficiently to be easily swallowed and digested. Unfortunately, gaps in your grin can contribute to malnutrition if you can’t bite or chew tougher foods with lots of nutrients, like chewy meats or raw fruits and veggies. You could even develop gastrointestinal issues from ingesting overly large pieces that your body struggles to absorb.

Dentures can restore a portion of your original bite force, but you must still eat carefully to avoid destabilizing or dislodging them. For instance, biting into anything too hard or sticky could push or yank them out of place or chip or crack the materials.

Does Wearing Dentures Improve My Nutrition?

You might think that wearing your new teeth will naturally improve your nutrition because you can eat more wholesome foods with them in place than with wide spaces in your smile. However, studies have shown that denture wearers tend to have significantly lower nutritional markers.

For instance, in one study, researchers matched the dental records of 10,000+ patients in Indiana with their medical laboratory data that contained specific markers for malnutrition. They compared the results of two years before someone received their prosthetics to two years after and were surprised by what they learned!

Researchers found that people with dentures experienced a significant decline in these measurements compared to those who didn’t require a restoration. It’s believed this is because dentures can be somewhat difficult to chew with, especially if they’re loose or ill-fitting.

How Can I Eat Healthy With Dentures?

Don’t lose hope if you’re concerned about getting the right nutrition with dentures! One way to include wholesome ingredients in your diet is to cook or blend them so they’re easier to consume without the same amount of biting and chewing. Popular options include blended fruit smoothies, sautéed vegetables, applesauce, scrambled eggs, yogurt, etc.

If you’re seeking a more reliable restoration that’s less likely to become destabilized, you might be a good candidate for implant dentures. Having an honest conversation with your dentist about your goals and concerns helps them tailor potential treatments to your unique needs!

Meet the Author

Dr. Terry Rakowsky has 35+ years of experience helping people of all ages improve their lives by enhancing their oral health. He earned his dental doctorate from the  University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, and has completed continuing education courses with prestigious institutions like the Dawson Academy and Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. Today, he offers a complete menu of services to meet all your needs under one roof, including providing lifelike dentures. You can request an appointment on the website or call (215) 348-2224.