Adhesive pads belong to the group of adhesives and represent materials designed to improve the hold of a denture. They help to increase the biting strength of denture wearers and limit typical wear and tear of the jawbone. However, in the case of ill-fitting dentures, even adhesive pads do not improve retention.
What is an adhesive cushion?
Before an adhesive pad is pressed onto the denture, it must be cleaned and dried. When in contact with the jaw, the film becomes soft and pliable. Adhesive pads represent elastic plastic films, which can adhere to the jaw and last up to three weeks. They are used as relining for dentures on the jaw to improve their hold. Before an adhesive pad is pressed onto the denture, it must be cleaned and dried. On contact with the jaw, the film becomes soft and pliable. Before applying it to the denture, it is necessary to first remove the air bubbles from the adhesive material and cut it to fit. The adhesive pads do not need to be removed from the denture even during cleaning of the dentures. Adhesive pads do not act like adhesives, but function on the basis of suction forces. The physical bases for the suction forces are adhesion and cohesion. When properly seated, there is no air between the jaw and the adhesive pad, so the forces between the molecules of saliva, the materials of the adhesive pad and the jaw create bonds that ensure better retention of the denture to the jaw. In addition, forces also act between the adhesive pad and the denture. Adhesive pads belong to the group of adhesives. These also come in powder, cream, strip or gel form.
Forms, types and kinds
In addition to adhesive pads, all other adhesives also perform the same function. Powders, creams, gels or strips, among others, are applied to the dentures. By changing the properties of the saliva, the consistency of the saliva is also changed, so that the adhesive properties of the prosthesis improve when all the materials interact. Without adhesives, the prosthesis would quickly loosen. Generally, bonding agents consist of bio- or plastic polymers such as sodium alginate, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl celluloses, copolymers of various monomers, kerosene, petrolatum and others. Silicon dioxide, zinc, titanium oxide, iron oxide pigment or even menthol, azurubin or various other substances are used as additives. Adhesive pads are specially made of materials such as polybutylene, methacrylate, polypropylene laurate, iron oxide pigment and titanium oxide. Polybutylene, methacrylate and polypropylene laurate are polymer plastics with additives such as iron oxide and titanium oxide.
Structure and mode of operation
Basically, a denture is attached to the jaw by suction forces (adhesion and cohesion). In this process, the denture margin must be precisely adjusted individually to seal the denture. However, various factors act to reduce the hold of the denture and make additional relining in the form of adhesive pads and other adhesives necessary. For example, the various tongue and mouth movements can cause the denture to loosen and lever off. There are significant differences in retention between the upper and lower jaws. For example, the smaller contact surface, tongue movement and reduced suction can cause the denture to loosen more quickly on the lower jaw than on the upper jaw. Other factors such as the shape of the jaw, the static design of the denture or chewing habits also play a role in the hold of the denture. Within approx. 20 years of wearing dentures, the lower jaw, for example, wears out, so that it is eventually hardly present any more. To prevent this from happening in the first place, bone augmentation work must be carried out regularly to reconstruct the jaw. A well-fitting prosthesis is required to slow down jaw degeneration. This in turn can only be achieved by relining with bonding agents or bonding pads. The effect of the bonding agents is based on the chemical and physical properties of the ingredients. They contain substances that swell in saliva and thus create a certain toughness of the mucus. This forms a film on the prosthesis, which strengthens the adhesive forces. Normally, adhesive pads must be removed and reapplied daily during cleaning of the denture. However, adhesive pads can also remain on the denture during cleaning.One adhesive pad can be used for up to three weeks.
Medical and health benefits
The medical benefit of an adhesive cushion can be considered very high, under the premise that a lack of relining of the denture can lead to a complete deterioration of the jawbone. With the help of relining with adhesive pads, the wear process can be delayed, which represents a significant health benefit for the denture wearer. Furthermore, the cost of jaw reconstruction and dentures can be significantly reduced. Relining dentures with adhesive pads is also useful, as painful pressure points can be avoided. For example, if the ridge of the jawbone is angular, greater stresses occur during chewing. Painful pressure points can develop that lead to ulcers in the long term. These pressure points are predestined for infections and, in the worst case, malignant degeneration. Relining with adhesive pads can prevent this process. The healing of pressure sores is also accelerated by the use of adhesive pads. Since the jawbone is in a constant state of change, the relining of the denture should be regularly reupholstered at intervals of one to two years. Furthermore, a fixed denture also increases the biting force of the denture. However, the biting force of a fully dentured denture, which is a maximum of 50 kp, cannot be achieved. However, up to 5 kp biting force is possible when using an adhesive, which in turn also has an effect on improving the quality of life. However, to develop the positive effects, the adhesive pad should be applied only after the denture has been adapted to the jawbone.
