Zinc & Denture Adhesives

I was born with BAD teeth-heck even my baby teeth had cavities. It was not from lack of care-one of my first cousins is a dentist and I was dragged screaming to the dentist from a very young age!! I liked my cousin—but definitely did not like visiting his office. Over the years I spent a small fortune trying to save my teeth—finally in my late 40’s I said enough. I only had pieces of teeth left and was actually able to pull some of them out myself without bleeding. I went to a clinic and said PULL THEM ALL. Well I was someone’s final exam and he decided that I should have pouty looking lower lip. Now understand my natural mouth had an over bite which had been corrected by metal braces (which I still say was the real beginning of all my tooth problems). The dentures were made with an under bite and large teeth (my natural teeth had been small). Because this was a clinic they made me wait to put in the full dentures-my mouth had to be healed from all the pulling of teeth! Well—in the interim I learned to speak and to eat EVERYTHING without them. This was actually a very good thing since those dentures, which were made to force my mouth in an unnatural position were uncomfortable and I wore them ONLY when necessary. About 10 years ago the uppers finally broke. I went to a dentist near where I worked at the time-------he would not believe me that I had naturally small teeth. However, after making one with an under bite he realized I had an over bite and re made them. They are still uncomfortable to this day—my mouth is too small for those large teeth, but at least my jaw does not feel like it is being broken WHEN I wear them which is as infrequently as possible. Now all this time I have been using a denture adhesive to keep them in—I always saw that you were supposed to only use three thin strips but I needed more to keep them in place most of the time. Which brings me to the subject of this post!

I just was entering a giveaway for a dental adhesive that I noticed. It was required that I go in and comment on something that was new to me. Well, while I was there I decided to browse around a bit. It was then that I saw that ZINC (a heavy metal which does occur in our bodies in small amounts and is necessary) could cause some pretty serious side effects if ingested in large amounts. Because I was using much more then I was supposed to-lots was ending up in my stomach. I went to various sites and this is what I found:

http://www.ehow.com/list_7345424_effects-large-doses-zinc.html
http://www.localhealth.com/article/zinc-poisoning
http://www.youhavealawyer.com/denture-cream/zinc-poisoning/
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/zn.htm
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/ucm274258.htm

Thankfully I do not wear those dentures very often but still think I may ask my doctor next time I go to check for zinc levels just in case. And for those of you, like me, who use dental adhesives—BE CAREFUL-only use the 3 thin strips of the adhesive as is stated in that really tiny directions for use!! We have no real choice but to use it----but please follow the directions. And if you can afford it go to your dentist to have them re-lined or a new pair made. I did read that a lot of the companies making the adhesives are beginning to use a different ingredient--so there is hope!!

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