With summer coming to a close, it doesn't mean the grilling season is quite over yet. We don't get many cold or rainy days here in Irvine so we don't have to say goodbye to our favorite grilled foods like steak, burgers, chicken, and more. This is even more reason to wear a tooth replacement option that allows you to enjoy your favorite grilled foods all year long.

Steak grilled to perfectionWith traditional dentures, you may as well be handed a list of all the things you will never enjoy again. And at the top of the list is steak. Even if you get to eat it with your old-fashioned dentures, you have to cut it up into very small pieces and then be prepared to chew forever.

But it doesn't have to be that way. You can enjoy steak with dentures–but you have to either make the steak more tender or upgrade to Denture Fountain of Youth®.

You Don't Have to Chew If It Melts in Your Mouth

Okay, so steak is probably never going to actually melt in your mouth, but it can be made so tender that it practically does. You may have been accustomed to cooking your steak without worrying too much if it's tough because, hey, your teeth could handle it. But now, it's worth it to take some extra steps to make your steak extra tender and easy to eat.

Getting steak tender starts with the cut of beef. The tenderloin and top blade steaks are the most tender right off the bat.

Next, cut it against the grain. The long muscle fibers of steak can be hard to break down with denture teeth, but you can give them a head start by cutting the fibers into smaller pieces.

Tenderize your steak with a hammer. Pounding the steak has the same effect as chewing it, only you get some of the chewing out of the way before the steak goes in your mouth.

Use marinades that can help soften the steak. The best options for this are marinades that include acids like citrus juice or vinegar. If tenderizing is like chewing your steak before you eat it, marinating is like digesting it.

This is all very easy to do at home, but when it comes to going out, it's hard to gauge how tender a restaurant steak is before you have it. When you visit a restaurant for the first time, get a taste of someone else's steak before ordering one for your own.

How to Eat Meat with No Teeth: Steak-Ready Dentures

More often than not, we hear patients complain "I can't chew with my dentures." The problem with eating meat is really your dentures. If you want to eat steak, you have to have dentures that are up to the challenge.

Not all dentures have quality teeth. There's a reason our patients ask "Can you eat steak with dentures?" Many dentures have plastic teeth, which are just not capable of breaking down tough muscle fibers. Quality dentures have ceramic teeth, which can be sharper and harder, making them ready to take on tough steaks.

Your dentures also have to be securely fastened in your mouth to function properly and break down a steak. Traditional dentures just sit on your gums, not really secured in place by anything but suction. Dentures secured by dental implants have good stability for chewing. You can bring a lot of force to bear, breaking down the steak, and releasing all those savory juices.

Proper fit goes beyond just seeming to be the right size for your mouth. Properly fitted dentures not only fit in your mouth when static, they fit when your mouth is in motion. This requires a more complex fitting process, but it's worth it.

There are two types of implants dentures: implant-supported dentures and implant-retained dentures. Although both make eating steak much easier with dentures, implant-supported dentures apply the pressure of chewing on your jaw which feels much more likely chewing with natural teeth.

Foods Difficult to Eat With Dentures

Steak isn't the only food that's difficult for some denture wearers. With steak-ready dentures, you can enjoy ALL of your favorite foods again like:

  • Popcorn – eat cautiously
  • Nuts – eat slowly
  • Raw fruits and vegetables like corn and apples
  • Nut butter

For the most part, you can enjoy all your favorite foods again with dental implants. We do recommend that you eat harder foods with caution and avoid super sticky candies. However, you can eat all the steak you want without struggling!

If you are looking to get steak-ready dentures (implant dentures) in Orange County, we can help. Please call (949) 551-5902 to request an appointment with an implant dentist at Rice Dentistry in Irvine.