Hello folks:

I thought some of you might be interested in the emerging relationship between denture cream use and neuropathy.

Over time, the use of denture cream results in the ingestion of large amounts of zinc, both through the gums and the stomach. These high levels of zinc cause the amount of copper in the bloodstream to plummet, eventually resulting in demyelination (damage to the outer sheath of nerve fibers), generally beginning in the extremeties. Symptoms also can include neurological/cognitive decline.

The bottom line: if you have used these products and are concerned about these issues, please discuss it with your physician. A blood and urine test can be performed to check the levels of zinc and copper in your body.

If you have questions or would like to review some study abstracts, please PM me.


Thanks and best wishes to you all.

-GWA

Hi buckallred,

Thanks for posting this information.

I have been preaching to the choir about the overuse of denture adhesives for this exact reason!

Unfortunately, some people need alot of goop in their denture to hold the thing in. So I stress repeatedly to not eat the stuff and to make sure they clean their mouths out thoroughly when they remove the denture. Which can be ever so difficult because it sticks to the palate like crazy! However, there is no doubt that the zinc is being absorbed into the palate or lower gum tissue the entire time they are wearing it.

Any ideas or alernatives to what these people can do???

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna.

I believe there is at least one zinc-free product that can be used. We are fairly sure that "Fixodent Free" does not contain zinc. Because denture cream products are officialy "Class I medical device[s]," the requirements for reporting the exact ingredients in them are lesser than the requirements are for reporting the ingredients (for just one example) in toothpaste. Makes perfect sense . . . right?!?

Also, I am not completely sure about "Sea-Bond." But I have no indication that that Sea-Bond does contain zinc.

Until the exact ingredients of all of these products are provided by the manufacturers, there will be no answer that you can really feel safe about. And that is frustrating. But rest assured that these facts and many others will shortly be provided via litigation.

In the meantime, anyone who uses these products should discuss zinc toxicity and neuropathy with their doctors. There are simple blood and urine tests that can determine the levels of zinc and copper in one's body. If you have further questions, please contact me, I'd be glad to discuss this with you.

I am curious to know how many people you have found who
are actually affected by this?

This is a monograph on copper:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...per/index.html

Zinc:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/

Sea Bond states on its website that it does not contain zinc.
However, I would wonder about iodine content since it is made from kelp.

It also appears that the Poligrip strips do not contain zinc:
from http://www.poligrip.com/faqs.aspx#strip3
The strips are manufactered in Japan.

Hi, our office currently has 7 individuals confirmed by blood/urine tests and are awaiting testing results on another 30-40 people. There is no way to know how many people out there have been harmed by denture cream use. But a large percentage of neuropathy cases are diagnosed as "idiopathic" (which as you know is a fancy medical term for "we have no idea what caused it"). So as additional studies are performed and made public, we expect more people to begin asking questions and have this testing done.

It's critical that anyone who uses denture cream discuss these issues with their doctors!

Thought you might be interested! The evidence is growing.
***


Scott William Weinstein of Morgan & Morgan in Ft. Myers, Fla., told the NLJ that long-term use of denture cream leads to zinc buildup and neurological problems because it binds to copper and removes too much of it from the body. Weinstein said his firm has begun to screen more than 3,000 potential cases. Meanwhile, a dozen cases are pending in federal courts in a variety of states.

link: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/06/05/...denture-cream/