Dentures stay in place by fitting snugly to the underlying gum and bone tissue, with a thin layer of saliva between the gums and the denture helping to seal them in place. The more the denture can connect to the surface area, the better the seal.

Depending on various factors, some people will get longer wear out of the dentures than others. Most denture wearers get five to seven years out of their dentures. Factors such as how often you wear your dentures, your level of bone resorption, and personal denture care will determine how long they will last.

When you first start wearing false teeth, you should eat mainly soft foods. Foods such as steak, raw vegetables, and raw fruit will be too difficult for a denture wearer to bite and chew. Over the first 12 months, we’ll show you how to introduce harder and chewier foods. Good choices include hot cereals, broth, soups, scrambled eggs, pudding, mashed potatoes, mashed or well-cooked vegetables, juice, yoghurt, cooked stews and pasta.

After each meal, we recommend that you rinse and clean both your natural teeth as well as dentures. We’ll show you how to do this at your appointment with a denture brush and a little soap and water.