Denture adhesives or Denture fixatives

Denture fixatives or adhesives help to improve the 'suction' or retention of acrylic dentures.

They do this by increasing the adhesion between the acrylic denture surface and your mouth (mucosa).

If you have ever tried to separate two the sheets of plastic or glass where a thin fluid layer is present, that gives you some idea of the effect of denture adhesives.

Good quality saliva also contributes to the retention of acrylic dentures, but saliva quantity and quality varies widely between individuals and can be affected by some medications and medical conditions, for example Sjogrens syndrome.

Saliva is secreted in two forms; 'serous' and 'mucous', by different salivary glands in your mouth.

Serous saliva is the clear runny saliva we produce, but the beneficial saliva in terms of denture grip is the 'mucous' variety.

There is growing evidence that long term use of these denture fixatives and adhesives may damage your mouth, so their selective use is recommended.

Click here for the latest news on dentures adhesives

Most well made top dentures should not need denture adhesives, providing the denture has been well constructed and extended correctly into the denture border areas and the posterior edge of the denture has been placed at the correct anatomical junction.

With bottom dentures it is harder to produce the same peripheral seal as with a top denture and if dental implants have been ruled out, using a denture fixatives may be the only solution.