Tooth loss can detract from your daily quality of life because gaps in your grin make it hard to eat, speak, and smile as easily as you used to. Thankfully, your dentist can provide lifelike dentures to act as artificial teeth. Once in place, you can enunciate words and sufficiently chew your food to be more easily swallowed and digested.
However, your prosthetics can also interfere with your sense of taste, making meals less enjoyable. Continue reading to learn four potential reasons for this and how it can be addressed!
Cause #1: Aging
Unfortunately, there’s a chance that your age is impacting your ability to taste. This is partly because your tastebuds regenerate quickly in youth but begin to slow down (or stop entirely) in time. To make matters worse, they also shrink, making it harder to detect different flavors like saltiness and sweetness. This starts happening to people in their 40s and 50s, and because tooth loss is more common in adults who are 65+ years old, your tongue may not be as sensitive to foods as it once was.
Cause #2: Blocked Tastebuds
It’s also possible that your bland food tastes that way because your artificial teeth are covering some of your tastebuds. You might think that they’re all on your tongue, but the truth is that they cover the roof of your mouth, too. If you have a full set of dentures, the acrylic base covers this portion of your mouth to form a tight enough suction against your gums to remain in place. Fortunately, many patients experiencing this issue adjust in time, and foods regain their flavor.
Cause #3: Dirty Dentures
When enough debris and plaque have formed on your restoration, it can start to taste unpleasant. Not only that, but it encourages bacteria, which can cause gum disease or infect your jawbone. Removing your prosthetics twice daily to clean them thoroughly is the best way to keep them looking and feeling fresh. Brush all sides with a soft-bristled brush and mild dish soap that won’t abrade the surfaces, then gently rinse with water. If you’re heading to bed for the night, leave them soaking in a glass of water or cleaning solution to kill up to 99% of unwanted germs.
Cause #4: Denture Adhesive
Your jawbone begins to thin after tooth loss without roots to stimulate new bone growth every time you bite down. That means your restoration, which once fit like a glove, eventually becomes looser or stops fitting altogether. Many patients, in these cases, rely on denture glues to keep their prosthetics in place, but using too much can leave a lingering metallic taste in your mouth. If you’re struggling with ill-fitting dentures, it’s best to contact your dentist to help you reline or replace them instead.
If you’re still unsure of the cause of the odd taste in your mouth, the best next step is to call your provider!
About the Author
Dr. Jay Lopez provides patients with a wide range of services to meet all your dental needs conveniently under one roof. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Colorado Health Science Center School of Dentistry. Now, he instructs other dentists at the world-renowned Kois Center. He takes the time to get to know you to individualize your treatment plan, then utilizes state-of-the-art equipment to achieve accurate, long-lasting results. If you’re worried about the state of your dentures, you can request an appointment on the website or call (520) 886-8090.
