Denture Glue - Uses, Types, Costs & Effectiveness

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Clinical Content Reviewed by Dr. Jay Khorsandi, DDS
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Table of Contents

  1. What is Denture Glue & How Is It Used
  2. Types
  3. Effectiveness
  4. Costs
  5. References

On average, about 178 million people in the United States are missing at least one tooth, and the reason for most of the missing teeth is tooth decay and other dental health issues. Out of those cases, about 40 million people are edentulous, meaning they have no teeth.

As a result, more than 90% of people without teeth use dentures and require denture glue.

What Is Denture Glue and How Is It Used?

Missing teeth can affect your ability to speak, chew, swallow and smile. To remedy missing teeth, dental practitioners use full or partial dentures to cover them.

Dentures are not only a practical and aesthetic solution to missing teeth. They can also improve your speech and bite abilities.

Dentures are easy to put on and remove. In many cases, saliva acts as the adhesive to help keep the dentures in place. In some cases, however, dentures may slide out of place or, worse, fall out. In these instances, adhesive glue can be used.

Denture glue or adhesive is a product used to securely attach dentures in the right place for a set amount of time.

Denture adhesive products increase the stability of temporary dentures. These products also prevent food material and foreign particles from sticking to your dentures and gums and reduce plaque buildup.

It is common to experience an adjustment period when you’re getting used to adhesive glue with new dentures. However, if you also experience pain and prolonged discomfort with your dentures, you should make an appointment with your dental practitioner to adjust or change the dentures or adhesive glue.

Denture glue is simple to use, and you can get your temporary dentures in place within a few minutes. Simply apply a small amount of the adhesive on the dentures, then press firmly in the right place and hold for a while. It may take some practice to determine the right amount of denture glue needed.

After applying and pressing in place, the glue should not ooze out, as this is an indication you’ve likely used too much denture adhesive. With the help of your dental practitioner and repeated practice, you will learn to naturally use the right amount with relative ease.

Types of Denture Glue

Finding the right type of denture glue is essential for anyone who depends on it to keep their teeth securely in place. This prevents the dentures from slipping out of space and improves general comfort. You’ll hardly experience any difficulty putting on the teeth, chewing, or speaking with suitable denture glue.

There are three major types of denture glue available for standard use: creams, powders and strips.

Denture adhesive creams are arguably the most used type of denture glue today. These creams are easy to use as you just need to apply a small amount and place the dentures in the right place.

Ideally, denture glue creams hold your teeth firmly in place for a day without loosening grip. As such, you can easily apply them in the morning, and you don’t have to worry about the dentures during the day. Denture adhesive creams hold your teeth firmly in place and prevent gum irritation and plaque buildup.

Denture glue powder is another fairly common product with the ability to keep your denture teeth firmly in place for about 12 hours. Denture adhesive powders are easy to use as you just need to sprinkle a small amount of the product on the dentures then firmly hold them in place for a minute or two.

Powder adhesives are an ideal choice as you just need a small amount, and you can sprinkle with ease. Once firmly attached, you can comfortably bite, smile, and speak.

If the adhesive glue you use keeps sipping out after applying, you’re likely using too much. While adjusting the amount can fix this, most people prefer to use an already set amount of adhesive. Denture glue strips are fitted with the right amount of glue for each application to avoid oozing or creating a mess.

To use the strip, just stick it on the denture and place it in the right spot. You can then bite down on the denture to keep them firmly attached. Besides having no unpleasant textures, denture glue strips also prevent food particles and plaque buildup.

Effectiveness of Denture Glues

As noted earlier, saliva is an excellent glue to help attach dentures. However, they can slip out of place if you don’t have enough saliva or when you use the dentures a lot. With denture glue, you’re assured of a more stable experience when suing dentures.

Adhesive glue is purely made with the intention of keeping your dentures in place for about a day or so. If your dentures keep falling out, you should consider using denture adhesives.

Cost of Denture Glue

There are numerous brands, types, and makes of denture glue in the market. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can get denture glue for anywhere between $4 and $30.

You can consult your dental healthcare specialist for more advice on the best denture glue product to use.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to promote understanding of and knowledge about general oral health topics. It is not intended to serve as dental or other professional health advice and is not intended to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any condition or symptom. You should consult a dentist or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.