Denture Adhesive Revealed

Denture adhesives are scientific terms that refer to a category of commercial products that are used to increase the retention and stability of different types of complete dentures. Denture adhesives are usually introduced in the form of powder, glow or adhesive tapes.

Denture stability is the first requirement needed to gain the patient satisfaction. No body wants to wear a denture that is not fixed in place or fall during speaking or eating. It can be really embarrassing and can lead to denture phobia.

Dentures do not need adhesives if the patient has enough ridge height and healthy salivation. But sometimes the patient spend much time eating on he toothless ridge which may cause ridge bone loss. Also there are many other causes that can prevent denture stability, In these cases may be you will need the assistance of denture adhesives.
Denture adhesives types and forms:

Denture adhesive is a bio-compatible glow that used to keep the denture in place during function. There are many types and forms available today like powder, paste and tape.

So what is the best type for you?

Lets say that we can not favor one of the previous forms for adhesive tape manufacturers every case, it depends on the case. Some people like the paste form as it gives a good retention while the others hate it because the excess paste is spilled in the mouth and need to be cleaned. Many patients like the powder form as the excess powder is not a problem because it is very easy to be cleaned, But we have to mention that some patients find it “Not retentive enough”.

So you should try some of the available brands until you discover the one that can give you the best results, sure consulting your dentist will shorten the road.

Do you need denture adhesives?

First we have to concentrate on a very important point “Adhesives are not the solution for ill fitted rocking denture “. It is very important for you to know that adhesives should only be used with properly manufactured, good fitting and not rocking dentures. If you have a new denture and it is not fitting, rocking or cause sores and ulcers then you should see your dentist quickly to fix it. If you neglected the problem and tried to use adhesives the jaw bone will shrink which will be very hard for the dentist to repair and sometimes you will need to make a new denture that can be worse than the first one.

What if you have an old denture that was retentive and stable then after 2-5 years it becomes loose, falling or rock during speaking or eating. Unfortunately denture adhesives are not the solution here this old denture needs what we call “relining”. Relining is needed when the dimension of the jaw bone under the denture shrinks as a response to the mastication force falling on it. In this case you have to see your dentist to take a new impression to add a thin layer compensating the lost bone.