Now that Halloween has come and gone, families are starting to prepare for Thanksgiving. Aside from booking travel plans, that means making lots of Turkey-Day foods! After all, the meals are arguably the real hallmark of Thanksgiving. Still, you should be careful of these items if you use dentures. Otherwise, you might end up spending the holiday season with your dentist. As for which products are risky, your local dental practice has the answer. Here are four Thanksgiving foods you should avoid when using dentures in Weatherford.
Tough Meats
While tender meats like turkey, brisket, or pulled pork are just fine for dentures, you’re better off avoiding the tougher ones. In other words, it’s best not to have any steak, pork chops, ribs, and so on.
For starters, chewing these latter items will put stress on your gums. Sometimes, it could even lead to sore sports where the dentures and gum tissue meet. Should that happen, you’d spend your Thanksgiving with a sensitive mouth that interferes with eating.
Worse yet, these foods could make your dentures unstable and dislodge them!
Sticky, Chewy, Gummy Foods
Among other dishes, some families like to add caramel, peanut brittle, or marshmallows to their Thanksgiving lineup. Unfortunately, such things are hard to chew with dentures. They also tend to loosen the suction between your prosthetics and your gums.
Chewy foods could even prove a health hazard. If bits get stuck underneath your dentures, they could cause bacteria buildup and irritate your gum tissue.
Nuts
A lot of Thanksgiving foods involve nuts, especially shelled ones. While delicious, however, they can harm dentures. Not only could biting them damage your restorations, but their pieces could keep your prosthetics from fitting correctly.
Given these factors, consider eating softer foods like olives instead of hard-shelled nuts.
Popcorn
During Thanksgiving time, popcorn is a great between-meal snack. Unfortunately, though, its unpopped kernels are a risk to your new teeth. Biting said kernels could damage your dentures or allow food bits to get stuck in your teeth. Either way, the outcome would be a decline in your oral health — not to mention some awkward Thanksgiving moments.
Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables
Even if they’re part of your Thanksgiving tradition, crunchy foods like apples, carrots, or celery can be difficult for denture wearers. Their skin and texture often require a firm bite, so eating them can loosen and shift your restorations. As such, try to puree these fruits and veggies first before you eat them.
As you can see, dentures in Weatherford don’t get to take the holidays off. Therefore, remember to avoid the Thanksgiving foods above so they’ll last a long time.
About the Practice
Cosmetic & Family Dentistry is based in Weatherford, TX. As led by Drs. Mulkey and Decker, our practice strives to offer comprehensive family dentistry for all. Therefore, we perform a variety of preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, including dentures and dental implants. We’re also a certified provider of both traditional braces and Invisalign clear aligners. For more information or to book a visit, reach us at our website or by phone at (817)-594-3806.