What Are the Dangers of Denture Creams?

More than 35 million people in the United States alone wear dentures, and many of these people use denture creams to help their dentures stay in place. People with false teeth rely on the creams to help them eat solid foods, laugh, talk, cough and sneeze without the fear that their dentures will fall out. Despite the cream's benefits, however, there are risks that go along with using it.

Denture Cream Ingredients

• Each brand of denture cream contains different ingredients, and it is almost impossible to purchase denture creams based on the ingredient list because manufacturers are not required to list their ingredients. Some common ingredients are zinc, polyvinyl acetate (used in chewing gum), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and various ingredients derived from glycerin.

Dangers

• Zinc is the most dangerous ingredient in many denture creams. Too much zinc in your body stemming from the extended use of denture cream over time can lead to a decrease in the amount of copper in your body. Copper is vital to the formation of hemoglobin, which is what help carry blood throughout your body.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of too much zinc from denture creams include low HDL cholesterol levels, skin issues, low levels of copper in the body, swollen ankles and anemia. Tell your doctor if you use denture cream when you experience any of these symptoms. Illnesses stemming from denture cream usage are often misdiagnosed.

Solutions

• When purchasing denture cream, buy zinc-free to avoid any serious health complications coming from the cream. All zinc-free denture creams will state so on the package. If it doesn't say, "zinc-free", don't buy it. Even though there has been a link between denture cream and serious health complications, many manufacturers still swear by the safety of their product and continue to use zinc in their denture creams.