4 Holiday Treats To Avoid While Wearing Dentures

If you have lost one or more teeth due to a dental condition or accident, you may restore your smile with dentures. Wearing dentures offers enormous benefits, including a complete smile that functions like your natural teeth, but certain changes must be made to maintain dentures. From cleaning and soaking to avoiding certain habits and foods, it is easy to see some of the challenges of wearing dentures.

With the holidays approaching, you may focus your priorities on decorating, shopping, and party planning, but you should also understand the dangers of consuming common holiday foods and treats. If you are part of the millions of adults who wear complete or partial dentures, you may be surprised to learn certain foods should be avoided this holiday season.  

Nuts

If you go to any party or gathering this holiday season, you may see a spread of snacks that include nuts. Nuts are incredibly healthy for your heart, but the hard texture can cause many problems if you wear dentures.

As you chew on nuts, small particles will break off. These small particles can lodge in between the components of your dentures. Brushing the dentures as soon as you finish snacking on the nuts is essential for preventing damage. However, it is best to avoid nuts or to reduce your consumption of these hard and brittle snacks.

Popcorn

You may not associate popcorn with the holiday season, but it is a common snack found in homes. Not only is it warm and comforting, but popcorn is also used in crafts for decorating the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, eating popcorn is not ideal if you wear dentures.

Popcorn may be light and fluffy, but the small pieces and hard kernels will become trapped in your dentures. In addition, the smaller pieces can become lodged in between the dentures and your teeth. This not only damages your dentures, but it can damage your tooth enamel, increase your risk of cavities, and irritate gum tissue, as well.

Wine

Most people enjoy an occasional glass of wine. Over the holiday season, your consumption of wine may increase because of the various dinners and parties you will attend. Unfortunately, drinking an excess amount of wine over the holiday season can wreak havoc on your dentures.

Red wine contains dark pigments, which will stain your dentures. The acidic properties found in the alcohol will also dry out your mouth, increasing the risk of bacteria growth and infections.

Reducing your consumption of wine over the holidays is helpful. If you must continue drinking wine, consider removing your dentures before drinking. Or, take sips of water in between each sip of wine. This will rinse away any dark pigments and acids while keeping your mouth moist.

Candy

Another common treat you will want to consume throughout the holiday season is candy. Sticky caramels, gooey chocolates, and hard candy are all popular snacks during Christmas and New Year's, but these special treats can cause enormous damage to your dentures and oral health.

The sticky and gooey texture of candy will make it difficult to clean your dentures. Also, crunching on hard pieces of candy will most likely scratch, dent, and even break parts of your full or partial dentures.

If you must enjoy candy, be sure to eat small and soft pieces as opposed to large, hard pieces. After consuming candy, remove and clean your dentures as soon as possible.

You can enjoy the holidays while wearing dentures, but you should use precaution when eating certain foods and treats. To learn more about protecting your dentures from stains and damage, contact a dental office like Justice Dental for tips and tricks to use this holiday season.

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