Many denture adhesive creams, used daily by patients to fix full dentures (palate) to the jaw, contain high levels of zinc to increase retention. If a patient’s denture doesn’t fit properly and they apply tubes of adhesive cream daily to close the gap, a significant portion of the cream is insidiously swallowed with saliva through chewing. Over many years, this excessive zinc intake completely blocks the absorption of copper from the intestines, leading to severe copper deficiency (hypocupremia). Copper deficiency can cause irreversible damage to the central nervous system, resulting in serious neurological diseases called zinc-copper myeloneuropathy, characterized by numbness in the legs, gait disturbances, loss of balance, and anemia.
