Eating is essential for life, but for most people, it is so much more than that. It can be a joyful and comforting experience that solidifies relationships, provides rich experiences, and more. Whether you are savoring each bite of a flavorful steak or indulging in a decadent dessert, consuming food is truly a pleasurable experience. But what if you discover that, after getting dentures, food simply does not taste the same?
This blog post explores the link between dentures and your sense of taste. It also provides a few ideas on how you might be able to start fully enjoying your food again.
Dentures and Taste
It is normal for humans to lose some of their taste sensitivity as they get older. In fact, flavor sensitivity may be up to 49 times lower in elderly individuals than it is in young people. In certain cases, loss of taste might be attributed to dentures, but it is actually nothing more than a natural result of growing older.
In many instances, though, dentures are responsible for changes in taste. There are multiple ways in which this can happen:
- Upper dentures cover some taste receptors. Your tongue has most of your taste buds, but there are also some on the roof of your mouth. When they are covered, you might find that foods taste different.
- Adhesive residue. If you accidentally apply too much adhesive to the base of your dentures, its taste might interfere with your enjoyment of food.
- Food particles. It is important to keep your dentures and your mouth clean. Otherwise, food particles might build up on your prosthetic and create an unpleasant taste that adversely affects your eating experience.
What You Can Do
To help you regain a more accurate sense of taste, you might try the following:
- Thoroughly clean your dentures. You should gently brush all of your dentures’ surfaces each night. It is also wise to regularly soak them in a cleansing solution. Be sure to rinse off all cleaning product residue before placing them back in your mouth.
- Ask if you are eligible for a reline. If your dentures do not fit exactly right, you might be using more adhesive than you should in order to keep them in place. Your dentist may be able to reline (adjust) them so they fit better.
- Consider getting implant dentures. Implant dentures are attached to small posts that are inserted into the jawbone. Therefore, there is no need for them to cover the roof of the mouth. They function and feel more like real teeth than traditional dentures.
Dentures might adversely affect your ability to enjoy food. The good news is that you can take steps to regain your ability to delight in every tasty bite.
Meet the Practice
Drs. Erick Anderson, Ken Gasper, and John Neuhaus are proud to work together to provide a broad range of services for the Colorado Springs community. If you have questions about dentures, implant dentures, or how you can get the most out of your artificial teeth, our team would be pleased to serve you. Contact our office at 719-452-8501.