Q&A: Dentures

Question:

My mom refuses to wear her dentures. What can I do?

Answer:

If your loved one wears dentures, there’s a chance you may hit a point when he or she simply refuses to wear them.

“I have encountered patients who refused to wear their dentures,” says Vladimir Kotelnik, an RN and Geriatric Care Manager for Partners in Care. “Possible reasons for that behavior may include poorly fitted dentures that result in difficulty chewing and painful sores.” Or they might just be new. If your loved one just got the dentures, it can take time to adjust. Start with softer foods, encouraging slow, careful chewing. Some foods might always be difficult to chew, like raw fruits and vegetables and tough cuts of meat, but over time most people can master eating a wide variety of foods.

If the dentures aren’t new and your loved one resists wearing them, you should get his or her dentist to complete an assessment of oral health to rule out any other underlying conditions and check that the dentures fit properly. You might also ask your loved one’s dentist about implants or partial implants, which are more costly and require oral surgery but feel more like real teeth. If your loved one absolutely refuses to wear dentures or implants, the last option is to offer soft or pureed foods.