Denture Cream Users Learn More is Not Always Better

Miami, FLPeople who wear dentures probably think that the worst they have to worry about is whether or not the dentures will fit properly, and whether they will work the way they are supposed to. They likely do not consider that their use of denture adhesive could cause health problems for them, including denture cream zinc poisoning. However, some users of denture adhesive, including Fixodent denture cream and other denture creams, are discovering that more—meaning using more denture cream than recommended—can cause very serious health problems.

The problem is with denture adhesives like Super PoliGrip and Fixodent denture adhesive that contain zinc. Patients who use such denture creams in large amounts are developing zinc poisoning, which, in turn, results in copper deficiency. Copper deficiency can cause problems like weakness, tingling, numbness and neuropathy.

The problem is having a huge impact on patients whose dentures do not fit properly. Often, these patients are relying on large amounts of denture cream to hold the dentures in place, not realizing that they are absorbing the zinc and their copper levels are being depleted.

After a while—often a long while, since zinc poisoning and copper deficiency can take a long time to develop—the patients begin feeling weak. They may notice that their walk is different or they feel dizzy. Often, they feel unwell but have a difficult time pinpointing what is going wrong. And, because it has taken a while for the symptoms of copper deficiency to develop and because they have no idea that their denture adhesive could have side effects, they continue to use their denture cream and do not connect that it could be linked to their health problems.

This is not just a problem that affects older people. There are many young adults who have dentures, for a variety of reasons. And, much like with seniors, these young adults may have dentures that are not properly fitted, which can cause them to use more denture adhesive than recommended—with no knowledge that it could affect their health.

Wanda writes to LawyersandSettlements that she suffers with burning and tingling her legs and some staggering when she walks, with no cause yet diagnosed. She says she began to experience these problems after she used denture cream for a while. All she has been told is that she is suffering from neuropathy. Her story is probably similar to many people who have used denture cream and started to feel unwell after a while.

Lawsuits have been filed against the makers of the denture creams, including GlaxoSmithKline, alleging that the company misled consumers about the risks associated with its products and did not provide proper warnings about the zinc in the denture adhesive or how improper use of the denture cream could cause health problems.