Coupon Fans » Denture Adhesives without Zinc http://couponfans.com Keeping the green where it belongs...in your pocket! Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:39:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Why I’m Sorry I Obeyed My Mother http://couponfans.com/2010/03/15/why-im-sorry-i-obeyed-my-mother/ http://couponfans.com/2010/03/15/why-im-sorry-i-obeyed-my-mother/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:18:59 +0000 CF Michelle (Site Owner) http://couponfans.com/?p=505 In most things, we should listen to our mothers. They have the wisdom of experience, and often know us better than anyone else on the planet. But there is one instance in which I wish I had never obeyed my mom’s wishes.

My mother and I lived together for the last five years of her life. And [...]]]>

In most things, we should listen to our mothers. They have the wisdom of experience, and often know us better than anyone else on the planet. But there is one instance in which I wish I had never obeyed my mom’s wishes.

My mother and I lived together for the last five years of her life. And those of you who have been following me for a while, know that I am a rabid couponer. This made for a very good combination, as we not only economized by sharing expenses, but both reaped the benefit of my ability to score awesome deals on things we needed. Like toilet paper. And denture adhesive.

Mom was partial to Fixodent, and given the plethora of coupons generally available for it, I was able to score deals on it regularly. In fact, she still had three full tubes in reserve when she passed away (she also had a tube of Cushion Grip, but that’s another story). Little did I know I was contributing to her health problems every time I bought her another tube.

You see, Fixodent, like the other denture adhesive that has major market share, Poligrip, contains zinc, which of course gets  ingested as the product is in your mouth all day (and in my mom’s case, all night as well). Zinc, like other heavy metals, is toxic in doses that are too large. Mom had numerous health problems in the last two decades of her life (and her anemia had plagued her for multiple decades). Not all of them could be traced back to her zinc poisoning, but many, if not most, could.

Of course, I did not know this until just a short while before she died, at which point I did my best to start correcting the problem. But by then the damage was long-done, and it was far too late to reverse the zinc poisoning which decades of denture cream use had caused (she started wearing dentures in her twenties, and was almost 80 when she died). If I had realized this sooner, I would certainly have taken steps sooner, and perhaps even been able to give her several more good years on the planet. So I hope if you’re reading this, you’ll learn from my mistakes.

Please, if you know, or are a caregiver for, someone who wears dentures, please let them know how dangerous the “big name” denture adhesives are. Visit the FAQ page of my other site, and learn about the effects of denture cream zinc poisoning. Then encourage them to start purchasing zinc-free denture adhesives like Effergrip, Secure by DenTek and Cushion Grip. These are a little difficult to find in stores (and alas, coupons for them are similarly rare, but I do know of one, Efferdent, any 78 ct+, or Effergrip, 2.5 oz – 01-31-10 SS, which is valid through the end of March), but the effort of either purchasing online or locating a nearby supplier is more than worth it.

Be sure that you also encourage them to visit their doctor & discuss the measures that can be taken to reverse the effects of zinc poisoning, and the copper deficiency that often goes along with it. Zinc poisoning can be successfully treated, but only if you know that it’s zinc poisoning you’re fighting. Unfortunately, until the last couple of months of her life, Mom did not.

Just this one time, disobey your parents. You won’t be sorry you did.

Possibly Related Posts:


]]> http://couponfans.com/2010/03/15/why-im-sorry-i-obeyed-my-mother/feed/ 0 Local Insert Review (Northeast Tennessee) http://couponfans.com/2010/01/31/local-insert-review-northeast-tennessee/ http://couponfans.com/2010/01/31/local-insert-review-northeast-tennessee/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:57:15 +0000 CF Michelle (Site Owner) http://couponfans.com/blog/?p=90 Well, the Bristol Herald-Courier’s coupon selection was a little disappointing this week (the RedPlum was almost non-existent), but the Knoxville News-Sentinel tried to make up for it. The SmartSource inserts were almost identical between the two papers. Today (and from here on out, unless I’m on vacation or can’t get hold of a given paper…which does [...]]]>

Well, the Bristol Herald-Courier’s coupon selection was a little disappointing this week (the RedPlum was almost non-existent), but the Knoxville News-Sentinel tried to make up for it. The SmartSource inserts were almost identical between the two papers. Today (and from here on out, unless I’m on vacation or can’t get hold of a given paper…which does sometimes happen with the Knoxville paper) you’ll be able to find the current (and historical) coupon insert listing for these two papers over on my Local Coupon Listings page.

Here are the highlights:

Bristol Herald Courier

As mentioned, the RedPlum was lackluster, though it did include a couple of what I think of as ‘unadvertised” coupons. That is, they were not included in the many lists of coupons available online ahead of time. These include:

Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Sausage product Save $1.00/1
Jimmy Dean Sausage Roll products Save $1.00/2
Land O’Frost Premium One Pound $.55/1
Land O’Frost DeliShaved $1.00/2
Land O’Frost Sub Sandwich Kit $1.00/1
PolarMeds $15.00 off your first order

I imagine the PolarMeds offer is probably available to others outside the NE TN area, simply because it is an online site (polarmeds.com) as well as an 800 number (800-681-0196), but note that the $15 is of of orders over $75, and the offer expires 3/31/10. There was also a whole slew of Long John Silver’s coupons on the front cover. I’m not a huge fan, but every once in a while I get a hankerin’ to get my grease on for cheap, so I usually put this type of coupon sheet in my back seat for quick drive-thru savings.

Knoxville News-Sentinel

The Knoxville’s RedPlum was Unilever-branded, so it was chock-full of goodies, including a few HVCs. In the SmartSource, we again see some online coupon codes being printed which I’m sure can be used beyond the NE TN area. They are:

FragranceNet.com 15% off Coupon Code NAVD2

PetCareRx.com/1-866-petcarerx $10 off plus free shipping over $35 code SMART729

The only thing the Knoxville SmartSource had that the BHC’s didn’t was a Beggin’ Strips 6oz BOGO coupon. Both papers had a coupon currently near and dear to my heart, which is good on Efferdent 78 ct or larger or Effergrip 2.5 ounce $.55/1 (3/31). In case you weren’t aware, GlaxoSmithKline and Procter & Gamble is currently embroiled in a number of lawsuits over their PoliGrip and Fixodent denture adhesives (respectively), because they contains zinc.

Zinc, taken into the body without a mitigating dose of copper, can cause anemia, neuropathy, zinc poisoning, and even bone marrow failure. My mother has been using these products for close to 50 years, and is unfortunately showing some of these symptoms. So I am doing all I can to at least prevent further poisoning, even if we can’t reverse the damage that has already been done. I have been hunting high and low for some place local that sells Effergrip adhesive, as it is one of the few (supposedly) widely-available formulas that does not contain zinc.

I did manage to find her a tube of another zinc-free adhesive at CVS the other day, called Cushion Grip, but at $7.99 per 1 oz tube, and no coupons in sight, it’s a little more expensive than she’d like. It is also a thermoplastic compound, which requires a very different method of usage, which may wind up being too cumbersome for Mom to want to bother with every few days…the jury’s still out on that though, so we’ll see. On the bright side, because it requires replacing less often, it is at least a bit more environmentally friendly!

Update: Although I lost my dear mother, I still believe it is important to spread the word about zinc-containing denture adhesives. for this reason, I created an informational site: 8-15-10 Weekly Coupon Insert Listings for Bristol Herald Courier & Knoxville News Sentinel Are Up

  • More Great News for Box Tops for Education Collectors…and the Insert Listings are UP!
  • Insert Listings Are Up – Bristol Herald Courier & Knoxville News Sentinel
  • Insert Listings Are Up – Knoxville News Sentinel and Bristol Herald Courier
  • Bristol Herald Courier Coupon Insert Listing Up

    • ]]>     http://couponfans.com/2010/01/31/local-insert-review-northeast-tennessee/feed/ 0