Denture Adhesives

If you're dentures are basically well fitted but you feel like they could still use just a little more suction, then a good denture adhesive may be just the remedy for you. Let's examine how these products work.

When denture adhesive is applied to the inner dental ridge of your denture and set into your mouth, the denture adhesive combines with your saliva. This changes the denture adhesive into an elastic type of substance that helps to hold your denture more firmly against your gums, resulting in a firmer fit that may allow you to chew and speak more efficiently.

Denture adhesives can definitely improve the fit of your denture, but they are not a cure-all for an ill fitting denture. You will still need to begin with an expertly fitted denture from your denture professional.

Denture adhesives may be beneficial in several ways. The most obvious benefit that denture wearers will notice immediately is a reduction in the soreness of their gums which is usually caused by the denture rubbing back and forth as it slips out of place. Even a denture that began with an ideal fit may begin to loose it's grip over time as the boney ridges of the denture wears mouth begin the natural process of resorption. The gums begin to gradually shrink and the once perfect fitting dentures now begin to move a little. As time goes on, the fit will become so loose that either the dentures will need to be relined, or perhaps an entirely new denture will have to be made. Denture adhesives can provide a short term boost in the amount of suction needed to keep the denture firmly in place.

There is a little known additional benefit to using a good denture adhesive. A recent study by Proctor and Gamble came to the conclusion that the use of a denture adhesive may lead to an improvement in oral hygiene by reducing or preventing denture plaque.

The basis for the study was that since denture adhesives are in the mouth for several hours every day, that they would be a great medium to sustain the timed-release of other oral care agents. Zinc is known to be a good anti-microbial, and is already an ingredient in denture adhesive because it combines with other ingredients used to form the adhesive material.

So, if your dentures are beginning to loose their once great fit, give that denture adhesive a try. Your denture professional can help guide you to a satisfactory brand.