Eating Without Teeth or Dentures
Posted on 3/21/2022 by Northstar Dental |
 If you have lost teeth and haven't replaced them with dental implants, or if you have trouble applying dentures, it might be tempting to try eating without dentures. You might even become proficient over time. Eating without teeth or dentures may seem simple, but it can harm your mouth and the rest of your body. Before you consume your next meal without teeth, consider these health hazards.
Jaw and Gum Issues
In order to chew your food thoroughly enough to swallow, your gums and jaws must work significantly harder when you eat without teeth. Dentures have a biting force of roughly 50 pounds, whereas natural teeth have a biting force of 200-250 pounds. Dentures are less durable than natural teeth, but something is always better than nothing. Because your teeth and gums must work extra hard to properly process food, especially softer meals that do not appear to require much chewing, over time, they will become uncomfortable and irritated. In severe cases, this can lead to TMJ and irritated gums. Furthermore, the jawbone is also in a constant state of flux, changing in response to the pressure of teeth or dentures. As the bone weakens without this pressure, it becomes more prone to fractures. You can find recipes for smoothies, purees, and other meals that promise to be safe to consume without teeth. Theoretically, this is correct, but this diet must only be followed for brief periods of time, such as between having natural teeth pulled and getting dentures.
Gastrointestinal Problems
For digestion to function properly, it requires all the components to fall into place. When food is not digested properly, it could cause problems in the digestive tract later. The whole process begins in the mouth. The reason for incomplete digestion is a lack of chewing and large meal pieces that cannot be effectively broken down. Not only does undigested food not provide nutrients to the body, but it also feeds bacteria in the colon. As a result, bacterial growth and gas can occur. The consumption of foods that have been sufficiently processed to eliminate the need to chew is not much better because you are not allowing your body to absorb nutrients through chewing. The passage of food through your digestive tract, specifically from your stomach to your small intestine, is closely linked to chewing. During chewing, the pylorus, a tiny muscle at the lower end of the stomach, relaxes, allowing food to move into the small intestine and through the digestive tract.
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