Texas Woman Left Disabled From Denture Poisoning

Mineral Wells, TXA Texas women who has been confined to a wheelchair due to the loss of motor function may have denture cream poisoning to blame for her condition, according to doctors.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">Elizabeth Gilley, a 26-year-old who started wearing dentures as a teenager due to a genetic condition that ruined her teeth, was admitted to a Fort Worth hospital in 2007 when she collapsed after experiencing numbness in her extremities. Early tests suggested that Gilley was suffering from leukemia, though no cancerous cells were found.

After a year of seeking treatment with various physicians around the Lone Star State, doctors finally pinpointed a cause for Gilley's paralysis.

"Within five minutes of seeing him, he asked me if I wore denture cream," she told the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Denture adhesives like Fixodent and Super PoliGrip contain trace amounts of zinc, which in large quantities can lead to serious neurologic diseases, hypocupremia (a copper deficiency) and hypersincemia (zinc toxicity). These syndromes can lead to weakness in the extremities, incontinence, a loss of equilibrium and cognitive decline.

Gilley has joined a class action lawsuit against adhesive manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline in Philadelphia, for which a trial date has yet to be set.