Denture Adhesive—Can we make it a thing of the past

Take a trip down the personal hygiene aisle of any supermarket and stop when you get to the area designated for denture adhesives. These products are sold to the tune of $1 billion annually and a look on the shelves gives an indication of that. There are pastes, powders, gels and of course the newest type on the block, the liner pads. They kind of remind me of a cross between pimple pads and flypaper. All of these products are made for one purpose, and that is to basically glue a persons' denture in place.

The reason people need to use this stuff is because they have little to no bone left for the denture to seat on and therefore the denture becomes unstable. A person will lose bone over time after his or her teeth are removed, some people quicker than others. As the bone decreases, so does the amount of retention the denture has until the person resorts to using denture adhesive to hold things in place. Even someone with a new denture or one that was recently relined will have problems if there is not a good foundation for the denture to rest on.

Ask anyone who uses adhesive if they really like using it. I doubt that you will find many who do. It tastes lousy and is hard to clean off your gums. It needs to be reapplied every so often because it seems to disappear over time. Guess what, it's not disappearing, you are swallowing it. The whole situation is just not good.

What a person with dentures to do? In the past I have spoke of getting dental implants to help hold your denture solidly in your mouth. Dental implants are titanium cylinders that are placed in your jawbone to replace the teeth you lost. They are used to help anchor a persons' denture by having the denture attach itself to the secure implants. Since the implants are very solidly imbedded in the bone, the denture is given this secure base to fit on.

Today I am going to write about a new type of denture held in by implants. It is called the NOVUM denture and I have to say that it is pretty slick. The procedure for conventional implants is such that once the implants are placed in the patients' bone, a waiting period of from 3-6 months is needed for the bone to mature around the implants. This time period is needed for the bone to adhere to the implants and stabilize them. The new denture which will be made to attach to these implants can not be started until the 3-6 months has past and the implants have "healed" in the bone. Then it usually takes another month or so for the dentist to take impressions and have several fittings to make sure the denture will attach to the implants properly.

Enter the Novum type denture. This is a denture which can only be used on a persons lower jaw. This is so because the bone on the lower jaw is usually denser and of better quality than the upper jawbone. In this procedure, it is possible to place 3 special implants in the lower jaw in the front part of the mouth, and have the corresponding denture made at the same time. This will allow the person to get new, secure teeth in a day. We're talking about teeth that look good and feel very secure. Forget about the typical 3-6 month waiting period. The procedure is also good for the person who is wearing a lower partial denture held in place by several questionable teeth. The bad teeth are removed at the same time the implants are placed and the new denture is placed in time for dinner.

If you or someone you know are tired of having your dentures move and being full of denture adhesive "glop," please have them contact their dentist and inquire about the different alternative that might be possible. Bon appetit.

Newtown Dental Care 7 Cambridge Lane Newtown PA 18940
Phone 215.968.7787