When you think of denture problems, you probably imagine more severe issues. For example, maybe a misalignment is causing your bite to shift. On the other hand, a denture’s teeth could break and affect your smile’s quality. Whatever the case, you might not consider that your prosthetic could interfere with your sense of taste. However, the latter is a possibility due to certain factors. To see if your dentures from New Orleans are ruining tasty meals, here’s a summary of three ways they can affect taste.
Why Do Dentures Affect Taste?
As it turns out, your false teeth have features that can mess with your ability to taste. In general, they can be grouped under three headings.
Full Upper Dentures Can Cover Taste Buds
Full upper dentures often have base plates to keep them securely in place. Unfortunately, these plates sometimes cover the taste buds on the roof of our mouths. Doing so reduces the intensity of food and drinks’ flavor.
In some cases, this effect is temporary. While full upper dentures may initially cause loss of taste, our brains eventually adjust as taste returns to normal.
Dentures Build Up Food Deposits and Stains
Over time, dentures naturally build up food deposits and stains. This buildup could then keep us from adequately tasting things.
Cheap dentures use low-quality plastic that picks up more odors and tastes, leading them to affect your taste persistently.
Sometimes Dentures Don’t Fit Well
Poorly-fitted dentures usually require a lot of dental adhesive to stay in place. Said adhesive, though, can alter taste. Denture creams have a deeply metallic flavor, which can overwhelm the taste of other things.
Tips for Improving Your Sense of Taste
Thankfully, the above issues can be solved with the right responses. These include the following:
- Consider Dental Implants: Because implant-retained dentures don’t need a base plate, they shouldn’t interfere with your taste receptors.
- Clean Your Dentures Properly: With regular brushing and soaking, your dentures won’t have the stains and food deposits that can alter your sense of taste.
- Get Better-Fitting Dentures: Better dentures would give you a better fit, reducing your reliance on the metal-tasting adhesive. If the fitting issue persists, you might need a denture reline.
Your sense of taste can change with age, but remembering the denture factors and tips above will keep it from shifting more than necessary.
About the Practice
Camenzuli Dental Excellence is a dental practice based in New Orleans, Louisiana. As led by Dr. Robert. Camenzuli, their team offers comprehensive dentistry services for all. Provided treatments span preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, not to mention emergency smile procedures. Patients can trust that the team’s commitment to excellence will result in healthy, beautiful smiles. For more information or to schedule an appointment, you can reach them at their website or by phone at (504)-895-3400.