The holiday season is a festive time of year that comes with merriment, celebration, gift-giving, and plenty of feasting. While it’s important to commemorate these occasions with good cheer and good company, people who wear dentures should be careful about their eating decisions at holiday gatherings. Here’s a short list of foods people with dentures should be careful of or avoid during the holiday season.
Mind the Meat
Holiday feasts often include some sort of meat dish as their centerpiece. Common examples include turkey, roast beef, ham, and lamb. While dentures can restore a lot of your mouth’s chewing power, they can have a difficult time with tougher meats, especially if they are well done or on the bone. When enjoying meats at holiday gatherings, remember to cut it off the bone or into small pieces. This way, you will be able to chew it in small, manageable bites.
Skip the Hard Candy
Candy canes are a celebrated symbol of the holiday season, but they are basically nothing but peppermint-flavored hardened sugar. If someone eats one by letting it dissolve in their mouth, the mouth will become coated in sugary residue. If this syrupy film gets under their dentures, it can lead to irritation or feed the bacteria that cause gum disease. The situation doesn’t improve much if someone with dentures chews on a candy cane instead, as one can be hard enough to chip or crack their restorations. It’s best to skip candy canes altogether.
Pass on the Popcorn
Popcorn can make for a festive holiday snack, but it isn’t the friendliest food for denture wearers. During the popping process, a few kernels will inevitably remain unpopped, and accidentally biting too hard on one of these can cause serious damage to dentures. To make matters worse, chewing popcorn results in a lot of food debris floating around the mouth that can easily get caught between the gums and the denture. This can lead to irritation, sores, or even gum disease as harmful bacteria begin to feed on it and multiply.
Dentures are an excellent way to restore a smile after extensive tooth loss, but they require special attention to remain in working order. By taking care of your dentures during the holiday season, you can make sure they look great and last for as long as they can.
About the Author
Dr. Daood Alvi earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery at the University of Minnesota, and he continues to further his education with courses focusing on endodontics, dental implant restorations, children’s dentistry, and cosmetic dentistry. As a dentist, he prioritizes developing relationships with patients and enjoys providing individualized, dedicated care. His office in Temple, TX offers general, pediatric, cosmetic, restorative, and emergency dentistry in addition to denture treatments. For more information on celebrating the holidays with dentures, contact his office online or dial (254) 727-7144.