Whether you’re missing several or all of your teeth along an arch, dentures in Lincoln are an affordable, versatile, and natural-looking solution to tooth loss that countless people rely on daily. However, there are some quirks to this restorative treatment, like the fact that they can affect your sense of taste. Read on to learn about how full dentures, aging, and sense of taste are all connected, and how you can improve your taste if you’re a denture wearer.
How Can Age Affect Your Taste?
Every time we eat something, whether it’s a salty potato chip, a sour candy, or a savory piece of bacon, the 10,000 (give or take) taste buds in our mouth go through an intricate process to pass a message to our brain about how each of these snacks tastes. Our mouth doesn’t work alone though, other senses like smell have already been working on creating that message before a piece of food is even in the mouth.
Every two weeks our body replaces the taste buds, but as a person ages, some of them don’t get replaced. This can mean that an older person may only have 5,000 taste buds that are working overtime to process how each thing they put into their mouth tastes, and as a result, the brain might not register something tasting as strong as it once did. Smoking can negatively impact the number of taste buds as well.
How Can Full Dentures Affect Your Taste?
Dentures are restorations that are comprised of two components, natural-looking ceramic teeth, and a gum-colored acrylic base that’s specially shaped to utilize suction to stay in place over your gums. Most of your tastebuds are located on the tip of your tongue, cheeks, throat, and roof of the mouth. If your denture has a base plate, which covers the roof of your mouth and is used to hold the restoration securely in place, this can cause your sense of taste to dampen. However, over time, it can return to normal.
Where the real issue develops is if you have dentures that don’t fit well. By using denture creams and adhesives to prevent slipping and shifting restorations, it can cause you to lose and experience a lingering metallic taste in your mouth.
How Can You Improve Your Sense of Taste with Dentures?
If you have a full upper denture and don’t want your sense of taste to be affected by restoring your smile, here are some suggestions to keep that from happening:
- Consider getting dental implants, which restore the natural structure of teeth from the roots upward—no reliance on suction or adhesives necessary.
- Clean your dentures regularly to avoid food deposits that could alter your sense of taste.
- Make sure your dentures fit well and you don’t use too much adhesive to compensate for the fact that they may need to be adjusted.
Food is a great joy in life, and the thought of not being able to fully enjoy and taste your favorite snacks and meals can feel scary. If this is a concern of yours, be sure to consult with your dentist in Lincoln for additional tips and tricks to make sure that you can still enjoy all of the things that make you happy!
About the Author
Dr. Ryan Shaffer earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2002. He is dedicated to taking continuing education courses to sharpen his skills and stay up to date with the latest technology and treatments in his field, and he has specialized training in dental implants. For questions or to learn more about how you can restore your smile, visit South Ridge Dental’s website or call 402-423-1616.