Can You Eat Normally with Dental Implants?

Can you eat normally with dental implants, Grand Rapids MI
The implant (bottom), abutment (middle), and crown (top) work together to give you the appearance and function of a natural tooth.

Did you recently lose a tooth? If so, you may be a candidate for dental implants so you can continue eating your favorite foods. Dental implants are a prosthetic tooth root that’s made of titanium. Once you lose a tooth, we’ll place this titanium rod in your jawbone to later support an abutment and crown.

How Missing Teeth Affect Your Life

Eating becomes challenging when your teeth are not prepared to chew food adequately. While making your appearance less than desirable, badly decayed or missing teeth can also undermine the strength of your bite. The good news is dental implants can help.

This will make it tougher to chew effectively and eventually alter your dietary habits — until you are trading in that wonderful steak for a bowl of scrambled eggs. But don’t push that steak aside just yet. Dental implants are the best way for you to enjoy all of your favorite foods.

How Dental Implants Work

Our dentists know that dental implants are far more beneficial than other forms of dental reconstruction. They’re composed of titanium rods that bond with the natural bone in the jaw making them stronger and more supportive of the teeth and the bite. 

The implant is firmly rooted onto the jawbone, in the same way, that a tooth is bonded through its roots. This keeps the implant stable and secure, much like a real tooth, so it doesn’t move under pressure. It enables the jaw and teeth to move and bite down properly.

Diet After the Dental Implant Procedure

You’ll need to eat soft foods while you recover from the dental implant procedure. That way, your mouth, and jaw will have time to heal. Stay away from foods that are sticky and/or hard to chew in the meantime. Once you fully recover from the dental implant procedure, you’ll be able to eat whatever you want.

Dental implants can give you back the pleasure of eating those foods you’ve been pushing aside. Since they mimic the natural function of teeth, you don’t have to worry about your teeth slipping or falling out—allowing you to bite and chew as though you had a full set of natural teeth.

Dental implants can also be shaped and shaded to blend with the rest of the teeth so that you won’t be able to distinguish them from your natural teeth. 

Ask our dentists about getting dental implants and begin enjoying all the foods you’ve been missing. Our dental implant dentists will be able to determine whether or not you’re a candidate for the procedure.

Continue Eating Your Favorite Foods with Dental Implants

Eating with dental implants is much different from what you may have experienced wearing dentures. Even the best-fitting dentures tend to slip, especially when you are eating foods that are difficult to chew.

Once dentures slip, food can get caught underneath the appliance and irritate your gums. The only way to remove these food particles is to brush or soak your dentures after eating. Now, you may be wondering whether or not dental implants or dentures are the best choices for you, and we have a whole other post talking about exactly that.

Most of the taste buds in your mouth are on your tongue. Yet, did you know that some taste buds are on the roof of your mouth? People who wear upper dentures have a plate that covers the roof of their mouth, which affects their sense of taste. One of the benefits of dental implants is that you’re able to use all your taste buds.

Request an Appointment With Us

Our dental implant dentists in Grand Rapids, MI are accepting new patients! To request an appointment and learn if you’re a candidate for dental implants, call the Bander Dental Group at (616) 949-5980.

This blog post has been updated.