May 20--Dr. Les Timm, a prosthodonist at Gundersen Lutheran, spends a lot of time fixing denture problems.
A common problem Timm sees is the damage to tissues when people use too much denture cream, but he now has another reason for patients to curb their use of these adhesives.
A study by Mayo Clinic and other institutions raises the possibility that too much denture cream increases the zinc concentration in the body that can result in copper
deficiency and neurologic disease.
Denture creams have zinc, but many patients use too much of the cream, which raises the level of zinc concentrations, Timm said.
"There's not a lot of research on this, but patients should only be using three or four dabs of denture cream," Timm said. "If they are using more than that, then their dentures are ill-fitting, and they need to refitted or replaced."
Dabs of denture cream, the size of a pencil eraser, should be applied on the upper part of the denture that fits against the roof of the mouth or distributed evenly around, he said.
Denture cream or adhesive should never be applied to the edges or borders of the dentures, Timm said. If excessive denture cream oozes out of the denture after you bite on it, then you have used too much, he said.
"If you need to use more than three or four dabs of denture cream, then you need to see your dentist about the dentures because that signals something is wrong," Timm said.
He said patients often complain that denture cream doesn't taste good. "But you should not be tasting the cream, that's a sign you're using too much," Timm added.
Overuse of denture creams also can cause tissue inflammation, he said.
"I see patients who use tons of adhesive, and their gum tissue is so traumatized, we have to work on that first to get them back to a healthy state," Timm said.
People with dentures should be evaluated by a dentist each year because changes in the jawbone are constant and ongoing, he said.
Dentures need to be fitted or replaced every five to seven years, but many people wear them much longer putting their oral health at risk, Timm said.
It's hard to believe, but some people continue to wear their dentures 24 hours a day. Dentures should not be worn at night, or for at least four hours a day, to give tissues a rest and to prevent inflammation, Timm said.
"I had a patient who had not taken out his dentures for 20 years," he said.
For people with dentures, the advice is simple -- three or four dabs of denture cream will do you. If you use more, you have some problems. Don't
forget to see a dentist every year, and if you have had your dentures for more than seven years, it may be time for a new set.
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