Dentures are probably one of the least appreciated medical prosthetic devices. If a person has a leg replaced, most reasonable people understand that learning to walk again will take a lot of practice. Until only recently have hand prosthetics been able to do much more than simply grab something and most did nothing more than look like a hand. Unfortunately, though, many first-time denture wearers do not realize how different a denture is from natural teeth.
Many patients go out with their new set of dentures and try to eat a steak. Due to inexperience, they are quickly frustrated by the limited chewing ability. Other new denture users are afraid to be in public as they notice that their dentures shift around slightly when they talk. These patients haven't learned how to control their denture and not "play" with it in their mouth.
The easiest way to control and adapt to the denture is through implant placement which can help make the denture more like natural teeth. For people without implants though, learning to use a denture is like learning to walk for the first time. The three aspects of walking are the bones that support you, the muscles that produce forces, and the brain which coordinates everything. For dentures, the bones form the ridge which supports the denture and allows it to sit in one spot where it fits the best. The muscles of the mouth (the tongue, cheeks, lips, and chewing muscles) produce forces and pressure to keep the denture on the bone. Finally, the brain tells the muscles which ways to react to the denture so that the denture stays in the right place depending on whether the wearer is eating, talking, sneezing, or doing nothing.