Personal Injury Law

Denture Creams with Zinc May Cause Neurological Problems for Tennessee Users

Recently, the risk of zinc poisoning and exposure to denture cream products has lead to many pending lawsuits in Tennessee and across the country. It has also lead the company GlaxoSmithKline who manufactures, markets, and advertises for three zinc containing denture creams to stop manufacturing them as of February 18, 2010. These products are: Super Poligrip Original, Ultra Fresh and Extra Care. The company is now working on new formulas for the products that will not contain zinc. These should be available by mid April 2010.

A healthy amount of zinc is needed for everyone, but doctors have found that too much exposure to zinc with products like these denture creams can cause problems such as:
? Numbness and tingling
? Lack of coordination for walking
? Unusual sensations in the hands, arms, and legs
? Weakness of arms and legs
? Copper deficiency problems
? Anemia
? Bone Marrow Failure
? Neuropathy (a condition that affects the nerves)

Some of these conditions are not that severe and when properly treated will not cause a person much more harm than some discomfort, but if zinc poisoning is misdiagnosed or untreated it can result in these more severe and life altering conditions and problems.

Many illnesses have some of these same symptoms, so it is important for doctors to test for zinc if you have taken a product containing zinc for a long period of time. Some of the conditions that have similar symptoms include:

? Demyelinating Syndrome
? Multiple Sclerosis
? Guillain-Barré Syndrome
? Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropath

If you or a loved one has used one of these products or similar denture cream products containing zinc, it is very important that you stop using the product, contact your doctor, and use a product that does not contain zinc instead. It is also important that you keep whatever records, products, or other information indicating what you have used.

Full post as published by Tennessee Law Blog on April 22, 2010 (boomark / email).