Tips on Eating & Drinking Correctly with Dentures
It’s common for seniors to end up with full or partial dentures at some point in their lives. If your senior loved one was recently fitted with dentures, he or she could face difficulty eating and drinking. Your loved one may feel uncomfortable wearing the dentures, but there are a few ways he or she can make the situation more pleasant.
Eat Softer Foods and Smaller Pieces
After getting dentures, your loved one may have to change the way he or she consumes food. For example, starting out with softer foods and cutting food into smaller pieces may make it easier to chew. Some good ideas for meals include scrambled eggs, fully cooked pasta, smoothies, soups, and chilli. Some experts even suggest a liquid diet for the first couple of weeks.
Dentures can make it difficult for your senior loved one to eat and drink properly, which could affect his or her quality of life. If your elderly loved one needs help maintaining a high quality of life while ageing in place, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a trusted provider of North Coast home care. Services our care workers provide include transportation to and from medical appointments and social events, nutritious meal preparation, assistance with daily exercise, and help with everyday tasks like bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping.
Be Careful with Chewing
Most of us put food into our mouths and don’t think twice about how we chew it, but this is not the case for seniors with dentures. Encourage your loved one to be mindful of what parts of his or her mouth are doing the work. He or she should avoid chewing food directly in the front of the mouth, as this can cause damage. Also, make sure your loved one is chewing food evenly on both sides of the mouth.
Avoid Hot Foods and Beverages
Drinking a steaming cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate may not be such a good idea for seniors who wear dentures. Until your loved one is used to wearing the dentures, he or she should avoid hot foods and beverages. Because the dentures insulate the mouth, he or she could have a difficult time judging temperature by taste and may end up with severe burns.
Swallow Quickly
Your loved one may have a tendency to savour the taste of a bowl of soup or a drink of juice, but holding liquids in the mouth for a long time can loosen or shift the bottom dentures. For this reason, it’s important to swallow quickly, especially when drinking.
Be Patient
Once your loved one gets the hang of eating and drinking with dentures, he or she will no longer hesitate to enjoy a meal. Until that time, there are certain foods he or she should consume carefully or avoid altogether. Foods that often cause difficulty for denture wearers include:
- Chewing gum
- Sticky candies
- Coffee and hot tea
- Nuts and seeds
- Red meat
- Popcorn
- Peanut butter
- Raw vegetables
Encourage your loved one to prepare nutritious meals that can be easily consumed even with dentures. If your ageing loved one needs occasional help with bathing, grooming, cooking, or other basic household tasks, or if you need time to attend to important personal matters, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of live-in and respite care. North Coast seniors can maintain their independence while living at home with the help of our reliable respite care workers.
Clean and Remove Food Daily
The best way to ensure dentures fit and work properly is to clean them daily. To keep food particles and stains at bay, your loved one should brush his or her dentures with a product recommended by the dentist. Your loved one will also need to brush his or her mouth, remaining teeth, gums, and tongue daily to remove food particles that could cause discomfort.
Seniors with or without dentures can face a variety of challenges, many of which can be mitigated through professional in-home care. When searching for reliable North Coast home care agencies, families want to know their senior loved one will be well taken care of. At Home Care Assistance, our expertly trained care workers are available around the clock to assist with tasks around the house, provide transportation to medical appointments and social events, and much more. For a free in-home consultation, call us at (02) 6646 3527 today.