Most dentures look so realistic nowadays that the public perception is that they function like real teeth. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Eating with natural teeth is an unconscious effort, no one tells themselves to chew! We put the food in and the mouth seems to do the rest.
Not true when wearing dentures especially on cases where no natural teeth remain, and/or no implant support is present.
Standard dentures will rock and shift in the mouth while chewing so it is vitally important that the patient learns to chew small amounts of softer foods and chew on both sides together to reduce rotation of the dentures. Salvia flow will also be different as well as the taste of the food, especially when the palate on the upper is covered up.
Denture soreness may occur on the gums and as the patient you will learn the amount of force you can apply quickly before pain or movement or both occur.
There are also a variety of denture adhesives that one can purchase to help keep dentures more secure. Some patients will find these quite beneficial and others not so much.
The success of any denture wearer falls into line along with the amount of support the dentures have either by the oral structure(gum height/thickness), teeth remaining or implants to help support the dentures as well as the patient’s own expectations.
Either way, never expect that the denture will function like your real teeth did. Even though the technology has come along a great deal these last few decades, it will never replace what nature intended!