Some serious allegations are being thrown at the makers of Fixodent. Two people, who were featured in an ABC News report, claim the popular denture cream caused them nerve damage. Severe nerve damage.
“I started getting tingling in my fingertips. And then it started happening in my toes,” 41-year-old Mark Jacoby told ABC News. “I started getting weaker and, you know, I couldn’t walk right, off balance and I’m at this point now.”
Jacoby, who now uses a wheelchair, said his doctors searched for years for the cause of his debilitating neurological illness. Doctors eventually tied his disorder to zinc poisoning. Jacoby, who has worn dentures for 20 years, said it came from his denture cream, Fixodent, which contains zinc.
Doctors of 48-year-old Anne Coffman, who is also confined to a wheelchair, say the same thing – that Fixodent may have caused her neurological problems as well.
Because of these findings a class action lawsuit has been filed against Fixodent-maker Proctor & Gamble.
In the suit, prosecutors allege Procter & Gamble didn’t tell consumers for years that the denture adhesive contains zinc, which when ingested or absorbed in large amounts over time can lead to serious nerve damage.
It wasn’t until 2009, after a controversially-delayed study was published in the journal Neurology, that Procter & Gamble added a “new label information” warning to the side of Fixodent packages, and on the back, cautioned that “prolonged zinc intake may be linked to adverse health effects.”
For now, in the face of this lawsuit, Procter & Gamble stands by their product.
“Fixodent is safe for use as directed, as supported by the experience of millions of consumers over many years,” the company said last week. “Our Fixodent formula has undergone extensive scientific testing, and we continuously monitor for its safe use. We know of no valid scientific evidence that using Fixodent as directed causes any ill health effects.”
If you wear dentures and use Fixodent, talk to me about your daily usage. While following the recommended label information is safe, over-exposure to the product may not be. I may also recommend an alternative to dentures – such as implants – that will allow you to ditch products like Fixodent altogether.
