Eating Without Teeth or Dentures – What You Need to Know

• Pressure on Gums and Jaw

When you to try and bite your food without teeth or any replacement, your jaw and gums will need to work extra hard to ensure that the food is properly chewed for easy swallowing. Natural teeth have a bite force of about 200 to 250 pounds of constrain while dentures have a bite force of about 50 pounds. This means that dentures have way less bite force compared to natural teeth but they are definitely better than nothing. When you continue to chew your food without teeth or dentures, your gums and jaw will start to become irritated from having to work harder to chew food. Even softer foods that did not seem to give you any problems to chew will also start to irritate your gums and jaw. This can lead to infected gums and TMJ.

The jawbone will slowly start to deteriorate since it will have to undertake an additional task that was initially done by the teeth. The deterioration process is also a result of the lack of support and pressure that it used to get from the teeth. Without this pressure, the jawbone will become weak and may even fracture in the long run. Sure, there are quite a number of soft foods you can eat and they are good if you have no teeth. However, these foods are not meant to be taken for a long period of time. You can only take them for a short period such as the period between tooth extraction and when the dentures are ready.

• Bone Loss

Bone loss can occur if you persistently eat without teeth or dentures or any other teeth replacement options such as implants for a long time. Using your gums to chew may start wearing off the corresponding bone ridges of the jawline. Every time you chew without teeth, the ridge experiences some pressure that it was not used to. This kind of pressure will cause the jawbone to eventually recede thus resulting in permanent bone loss. To add insult to injury, the severe bone loss may prevent you from receiving some teeth replacement options such as dental implants since they require stable bone structure for support.

• Gastrointestinal Issues

The digestive system is a complex system that requires different organs to function properly for it to effectively serve its purpose. The entire process starts right from the mouth. Not chewing food properly may disrupt the process and may lead to some complications in the digestive tract. When the food is not chewed properly and you are forced to swallow large particles of food, you may experience incomplete digestion. Large particles of food will make it difficult for the colon to digest food and limit the body’s ability to absorb some important nutrients. Additionally, such large particles of food can become fodder for bacteria because of incomplete digestion. This can lead to the growth of bacteria, flatulence, and indigestion symptoms.

Chewing food properly is also connected to the smooth movement of food through the digestive tract. Saliva from the chewing process will help in relaxing the pylorus (a small muscle at the lower end of the stomach). This helps in allowing the food to pass into the ileum and through the digestive tract. Chewing is also the first process that signals the rest of the digestive system that digestion can start. It stimulates the taste buds to send a message to the stomach so that it can start releasing some acids necessary for food digestion. It also stimulates the pancreas to start releasing the necessary enzymes that will aid in digestion.

• Lack of Enough Saliva Production

Saliva plays a very integral role in the digestive process. It helps in lubricating the food for easy swallowing and movement down the digestive tract. It also contains an enzyme known as amylase which helps in the digestion of starch in the mouth. The salivary glands are stimulated to produce saliva by proper chewing of food. This is something that cannot be effectively done if you are trying to chew with missing teeth.

• Improper Enzymes Production

The other problem with chewing food without teeth or dentures is that there will be the improper production of enzymes that assist in the digestive system. Enzymes are necessary for the effective breakdown of food. When you chew food properly, the taste receptors will send a message to your lower digestive system to start releasing the required enzyme for digestion. If by any chance the chewing process is impaired in any way, the taste receptors will not properly send the message and thus the enzymes will not be properly released. This means that the digestion will not take place as required.

• Infected Gums

Trying to chew food with your gums can be abrasive and can easily lead to gum tissue damage. The pressure you put into your gums while eating may not only hurt your gums but may also give the bacteria an opportunity to enter the tissue. Once bacteria have entered into the gums, they may result in some infection. If you continue chewing food with your gums without resolving to any kind of teeth replacement, the infection might continue and eventually result in gum disease.

• Risk of Losing Other Remaining Teeth

The other danger you face, while you are trying to eat without teeth or dentures, is that you risk losing your other remaining teeth. When you continue to chew food using bare gums, your jawbone continues to grow weaker. This can easily affect the functionality of other remaining teeth in your mouth. Over time, the other teeth will start becoming loose and fall out one after another.

There are many available teeth replacement options you can discuss with your dentist. The most permanent solution includes dental implants. A qualified and experienced surgeon inserts some titanium screws into your jawbone that will serve as the tooth root. The titanium screws will then be capped by a dental crown or bridge. Dentures are the best non-surgical teeth replacement option. They are effective teeth replacement option that resembles natural teeth and with good care can last for many years.

Dentures are an artificial replacement for your natural teeth that are made from either metal (like stainless steel) or acrylic (plastic). They are custom-made to perfectly fit into your mouth and designed to resemble your natural teeth. While the primary purpose of your dentist is to keep as many of your natural teeth as possible, even individuals who practice the best oral hygiene may at some point in life require dentures. Tooth loss can result in a myriad of problems that include difficulties while eating and talking, and may also have some psychological impacts. Irrespective of the reason for your tooth loss, dentures can help you solve all these problems. It does this by supporting your lips and cheeks, enhancing your appearance, and restoring your self-confidence. Depending on your budget and specific situation, there are different types of dentures you can consider.

Your dentist designs dentures for you by taking an impression of your mouth so that they can fit you properly. The shape and colour can be custom-made to resemble your natural teeth. You may require either partial or complete denture depending on the number of teeth you have lost. Your dentist will advise you on the best option depending on your situation.

• Complete Dentures

This type of denture is also known as full denture. This denture will be fixed on either your upper or lower jaw or both after the teeth have been extracted. In most cases, your dentist will be in a position to insert a new pair of dentures after losing your teeth. This will ensure that you don’t stay without teeth. There are two types of complete dentures which include immediate and conventional dentures.

• Complete Immediate Dentures

For you to obtain the very best results in obtaining a new set of dentures you should wait for at least three months. This period will allow your gums to heal completely and shrink to attain a permanent shape. However, for a variety of reasons that include social, professional or any other, the patient may be unwilling or unable to stay without teeth for such a period of time. For such a patient, the best solution may be to use immediate dentures.

When it comes to immediate dentures, the dentist will first wax the impression of the teeth before they are removed. He or she will then fabricate dentures that will be worn immediately after tooth extraction. This type of denture will act as a Band-Aid bandage that holds the tissues together and protects them during the healing process. The dentist will generally not remove these dentures until the day after surgery. As the gums continue to heal, immediate dentures will eventually begin to become loose due to the shrinkage of the bone. The dentist may add some liners to help them stay in place. You may be required to adjust your immediate dentures a couple of times during the healing process to enable them to stay in place.

• Complete conventional dentures

In most cases, your dentist will advise that you take some time and allow your gums to heal so that you can get a perfect fit for your dentures as discussed above. This type of denture is worn after a few months of allowing the gums to heal. As much it may take some time to have this type of dentures, the chances are that you will not have to keep readjusting them once you acquire them.

• Implant-assisted dentures

There are quite a number of reasons that may prevent you from wearing conventional dentures. Some of these reasons include bone loss or insufficient palate. In such a situation, the best type of dentures could be implant-assisted. This type of denture will require creating a hole into your jawbone and inserting an artificial titanium root. This root requires at least two to six months to fuse with the jawbone through a process known as Osseo-integration. After the root has completely fused with the jawbone, the dentist will now attach dentures to it.

If you still have some of your natural teeth remaining and you only need to replace a number of them, partial dentures may be the best option for you. Partial dentures consist of replacement teeth attached to a plastic or metal framework. In most cases, the dentist will use some of your remaining natural teeth to provide anchorage for the dentures.

• Getting Dentures for the First Time

The initial step of getting dentures requires that your problematic teeth be extracted if there had not been removed. The number of teeth missing will determine whether you should receive partial or complete dentures. Full dentures are only used when all your teeth are missing. Partial dentures will be used when it’s only some of your teeth are missing. After teeth extraction, your dentist will give your gums time to heal and also shrink to their permanent shape. How long you will take to heal will entirely depend on the number of teeth extracted and the extent of physical trauma experienced. In most cases, this takes a few weeks. Here is the process of getting dentures:

• Taking an Impression of Your Mouth

After the gums have completely healed and have shrunk to assume their permanent shape (mostly takes six weeks), the dentist will start the process by taking a preliminary impression of your mouth. He or she will use this as a guide to creating the new dentures.

• Choosing Your New Teeth

The dentist will then walk you through the process of selecting your new teeth. This process includes choosing the shape of the tooth and the best color for you. During this process, it is best if you come to the dentist with some of your old photos so that you can choose dentures that resemble your natural teeth. The main objective of this process is to select the shape and color of dentures that will resemble your natural teeth.

• Initial Fitting

After the dentist has made your dentures (this mostly takes 30 days), you will be scheduled for an appointment to fit them. They will be placed in your mouth and your dentist will make any necessary adjustments to ensure that they are fit and comfortable. After this appointment is meant for an initial fitting, you will probably be required to schedule appointments for some adjustments that will be made to eliminate any sore areas. During the entire period, the patient is expected to operate without any teeth.

• Final Fitting

You will then visit your dentist for the final fitting. After you are comfortable with your new set of dentures, your dentist will give you a few instructions on how to take care of them to ensure that they serve you for years to come.

• Clean them on a daily Basis

Just because dentures are not a part of your natural teeth does not mean that they don’t require proper oral hygiene that includes regular cleaning. Just like natural teeth, they can also build tartar, plaque, bacteria, and also stains. If you allow your dentures to get bacteria, it may lead to infection and irritation of the gum tissue underneath the dentures. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently clean them every day. You may ask your dentist to give you a special toothbrush for dentures. Also, don’t use regular toothpaste since it may contain some abrasives. Use toothpaste specially made for dentures.

• Find out if you need denture adhesives

A film of saliva will typically help you to hold your dentures in place. Denture adhesives can be used if your salivary glands do not produce enough amount of saliva. However, denture adhesives are not a remedy for loose-fitting dentures. A denture that feels loose or causes discomfort may need some adjustments or replacement as it can lead to the development of mouth sores.

Denture adhesives which are also known as denture adherents are powders, creams, strips, or wafers that are used to keep dentures firmly in place. Adhesives also help form a seal that keeps food debris from getting stuck between your gums and dentures. When cleaning your dentures, the adhesive should be removed by gently scrubbing to avoid contamination.

• Apply Fixodent to help prevent bad breath

Mouth hygiene and bad breath are very sensitive issues for most denture wearers. The key reason is that dentures can really interfere with the mouth’s normal cleaning process. Saliva helps to get rid of food remains in your mouth and manage the bacteria levels. Therefore, dentures can prevent saliva from cleaning and reaching those hidden places. Fixodent not only boosts the saliva’s natural cleaning process but also creates a seal along the dentures that prevents food remains from getting stuck. This results in fresher breath and more comfortable dentures.

• Give them a break

Give your dentures a break by taking them out before going to bed. If taking them out at night is not a choice for you, then ensure you remove them for at least six to eight hours at any other time of the day. Soak your appliances in some warm water if at all they have metal clasps. If they don’t, you may use either a special denture cleanser or a half-vinegar, half-water solution. Soaking them helps to clean out plaque, tartar, bacteria, and stains.

• Look after your whole mouth

You are still required to take care of your gums even with complete dentures. When you remove your dentures, thoroughly rinse out your mouth and then give your gums a good massage with a soft toothbrush or a washcloth. If you have partial dentures, you still need to properly floss and brush your teeth regularly.

• Handle them with care

The chances are that you did not get your dentures cheaply. And since they can easily break, you would want to be very careful with them. Make sure that you clean them over a bowl of water or a folded towel just in case they drop. Do not use toothpicks when you have them on or use hard brushes and strong cleaners to clean them. These can result in serious damage to your dentures.

• Have regular check-ups at your dentist

Dentures are quite strong and hard-wearing; nevertheless, do not be under the illusion that they’re indestructible. Dentures can be highly prone to deforming if left in hot water, also your gums can change in shape over time. While dentures do not decay like natural teeth, your gums can still be predisposed to periodontal disease. Your tongue and other tissues that line your oral cavity, plus your lower and upper jaws may also be affected by other conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that you schedule regular check-ups with your dentist to regularly examine your mouth condition and the fit of your dentures.

Eating without teeth or dentures can result in some serious both long-term and short-term problems. Teeth play an integral role in your well being and trying to leave without them is not the best idea. There are numerous reasons why you or someone close to you may try and adapt to eating without teeth. It can be due to finances, embarrassment, or any other reason. However, irrespective of the reason, visit your dentist and discuss about it. You will be able to get a plan that best suits your situation.