Do you need to use denture adhesive or it is just an overhead?

Some times full dentures are the last affordable solution for edental person.Usually properly designed full dentures don’t require denture adhesives .But sometimes we require to describe it to the patients to get a good feeling about the denture in the start or in some other cases that we will discuss later .

 

Dentures are made of metal or acrylic base with porcelain or acrylic teeth attached to it. The fitting surface of the plate should be completely adapted on the patient mucosa, This full fitting is obligatory to have a thin saliva film thickness and air evacuation which is important to denture . Also salivary glands, muscles and some bone diseases can have a great impact on denture performance.

 

So we Usually prescribe denture adhesive when the patient suffers from a reduced ridge elevation or as we mentioned before problems in the salivary secretion. Spending so much time without a denture will result in jaw bone defects. This will stimulate bone restoration as a result of force. So my advice for every patient is to have a denture as fast as he can after the healing of the last extraction.

 

We mentioned before that healthy salivary glands are very important in denture functioning.If the salivary secretion volume is within the normal levels and has a normal consistency this will be very favorable to denture adhesion. So too thick or too watery saliva will impair the denture retention and make the use of denture adhesive a very wise decision.

 

There is so many denture adhesive types and trademarks available today in markets. You can try glow, tape or powder forms to find what is better for you. The steps of adhesive application vary according to the form and the manufacturer so you should read and apply the instructions carefully.

 

To use powder adhesive you will require first to clean the fitting surface of the denture with  a tooth brush thin rinse it with water and don’t dry it completely because we require it to be a little wet to retain the powder on surface.Then you will spread a light even layer of the powder to the fitting surface. Too much or too little powder won’t be helpful.

 

Paste and tape forms Usually gives a better results specially with loose dentures but it needs a little effort to clean it from your oral cavity after taking the denture off, It is not a big problem as cleaning it with rough tissue or drinking a cup of cola will remove it completely. Also we have to say that the stripe form will require to be cut to be customized to the fitting surface shape. Last thing we have to say that  glow and thick paste forms will cause a change in the bite that some patients may disfavor.      

In the start you can try a adhesive with a strong grip like  cushion grip thermoplastic denture adhesive to give you an extra trust then after that you can use a lighter type.