Navigating Your First Month with Your New Dentures

Getting new dentures is an exciting step toward restoring your smile, but the adjustment period can take some time – for most patients, it’s about one month or so. During this period, you may experience mild discomfort, changes in how you eat and speak, and a learning curve as you adjust to the new feeling of the restoration inside your mouth. That said, there is good news – with practice and patience, you’ll soon feel comfortable and confident with your new dentures. Here’s a little more about what to expect as you begin life with dentures, and some tips to help you out.

Your First Day

Your dentures may feel a little bulky or foreign at first, but this is completely normal. You might produce more saliva as usual because of this, and you might also experience mild soreness or irritation. Speaking is also going to feel and sound different. You can practice making certain sounds out loud in front of a mirror to slowly teach yourself how to speak while wearing your dentures, but you shouldn’t expect to get the hang of it immediately. As far as your diet is concerned during these first 24 hours, stick with soft foods that are easy to chew, and give your mouth breaks as needed.

Your First Two Weeks

During the first two weeks, your mouth will still be adapting to your dentures, though your soreness should have started to improve significantly. However, chewing food may still feel a little awkward, even if it’s getting easier. Likewise, you may also still notice some minor inconveniences when speaking, such as your dentures slipping or sliding around. Just stay the course with steady practice and you’ll continue to speak more clearly. You’ll also need to develop habits like brushing your dentures after meals and soaking them during the evening; these ensure their functionality as well as their longevity.

Weeks Three and Four

By the latter half of the month, you should start to feel much more comfortable with your dentures, and eating a wider variety of foods may be possible, though extremely sticky or hard foods should still be avoided. You can consider cutting foods into bite-sized pieces as you continue branching out and adding new items to your diet. Likewise, you can continue practicing your speech with friends and family members. You shouldn’t feel much soreness or irritation at this point, and you should also be accustomed to removing and replacing your dentures, as well as keeping them clean.

At this point, you might also begin to notice an increase in your overall confidence – you finally have a beautiful and functional smile once more, and that alone is a reason to smile ear-to-ear!

About the Practice

Our team here at Ralph Avenue Dental Care has proudly served the dental needs of families in Brooklyn, NY, and the surrounding area for several years, offering a wide range of services including restorative options like dentures – both partial and full options. We’re also more than happy to provide you with tips for adjusting to your new restoration! If you have any questions about the blog or you’d like to get in touch with us to set up an appointment, please feel free to visit us online or call today for more information. Telephone: (718) 531-0300.