Can Wearing Dentures Affect My Sense of Taste?

Everyone loves to eat, and as one of our only five senses, our sense of taste plays a large role in our overall quality of life. But when you aren’t able to taste and enjoy your favorite foods, life can quickly become dull! And as you age, your sense of taste will naturally begin to diminish—but there are other things that can worsen this reduction, including dental restorations like dentures. Keep reading to learn more from your dentist in Denton about dentures and how they can impact your sense of taste.

How Dentures Can Affect Taste

Over time, your taste buds will change and diminish in strength, and your preferences for food will fluctuate. But wearing dentures can actually make matters much worse! A denture that covers the upper palate is more likely to result in reduction or loss of taste, because the palate plays a large role in taste (and smell).

If your dentures aren’t properly cleaned, residual deposits on the dentures can leave behind a bad taste in your mouth and also interfere with how you taste foods. This is very evident in cheaper dentures; the low-quality materials used are often more porous, which causes the dentures to pick up more odors and tastes. Also, if you use too much denture cream to secure your dentures, the excess material may impact your sense of taste if you don’t clean it away.

If your dentures start to diminish your sense of taste, you might begin to lose interest in cooking or eating. You might also begin steering clear of foods with sour or bitter tastes which contain important nutrients. These changes in eating habits can put you at risk for all sorts of chronic health issues!

Tips for Minimizing the Impact of Dentures

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to lessen the impact that your dentures have on your sense of taste! Consider the following:

• Clean your dentures regularly – Caring for your dentures diligently is the best way to ensure that stains or old food deposits don’t have the chance to build up on them and affect your sense of taste.
• Ensure your dentures fit properly – There are many consequences of ill-fitting dentures, and diminished taste is just one of them. If you’re overly reliant on denture adhesive, or your dentures keep moving around in your mouth, you should visit your dentist.
• Consider dental implants – Dental implants can offer all of the benefits of dentures and more, without influencing your taste buds at all. Implant-supported dentures are also a viable option.

Your dentures are meant to help you enjoy all of your favorite foods, so if they’re starting to diminish your sense of taste, they aren’t working as intended! Talk with your dentist if you’re concerned about the impact that your dentures are having on your taste buds.

About the Practice

Aguilar Family Dentistry has proudly served patients and families in the Denton, TX area for several years under the leadership of Dr. Jonathan Aguilar and his incredible team! Dr. Aguilar completed his dental doctorate from the Texas A&M College of Dentistry and has experience in a wide variety of fields. His practice is pleased to offer many available services including preventive, cosmetic, and restorative options. If you have any questions for Dr. Aguilar or would like to schedule an appointment, you can contact his practice online or by phone: (940) 566-5332.