Flipper denture is a traditional replacement of your missing anterior teeth which saves you from embracement of lost teeth. Your teeth can last lifelong but some cases such as accident, periodontal problem, trauma, etc. can lead to unnatural fall of your tooth.
Missing tooth not only hamper aesthetic but also make you feel awkward, self-conscious and less confident. To save yourself from the embracement, you search for the option that can replace your natural teeth quickly and improve the quality of your life (1).
For this reason, considering flipper denture is always the best choice. Flipper denture is quickly prepared, cost-effective and easy to use. As these are removable dentures, so the maintenance of oral hygiene also becomes easy.
Let’s get to know more details about flipper denture through this article.
What is flipper denture?
Flipper denture, commonly known as a removable acrylic partial denture, is a temporary replacement of anterior missing tooth or teeth. However, some people also use it as a permanent solution for their lost teeth.
It is known as flipper because it can be easily flipped out with your tongue, but you should not do this to avoid the breakage of your denture.
Flipper consists of an acrylic retainer with one or more prosthetic teeth on it. Acrylic material is pink in color and resembles the gum whereas prosthetic tooth looks similar to a natural tooth. Hence, the flipper denture gives you a natural look.
To create a customized flipper denture, a dentist will take an impression, bite and shade of your teeth. After which the lab procedure is performed on the impression cast to make flipper denture.
If flipper denture is used to replace a single tooth, then is also termed as flipper tooth. To keep the flipper tooth steady, the dentist often uses clasp which is a small wire with a blunt end.
Clasp engage the adjacent natural tooth surrounding the space where your missing tooth used to be. Because of which the denture insertion and removal will be easier for the patient, and it also attains stability. (2)
When do you need to have flipper denture?
Missing teeth is a common dilemma for many people. Loss of tooth occur due to accident, trauma, periodontal disease, tooth decay, etc. cause significant damage to gum.
Hence, you can’t go for the permanent replacement such as dental implants or fixed bridge until the healing of bone and gum takes place.
Implant success is dependent on the gum, and bone condition and complete healing take around 5-6months.
During this interim span, you can have a semi-permanent alternative such as flipper denture. They help in functional activity such as eating, speaking, chewing and also preserves aesthetic and the space of lost tooth.
Advantages of flipper denture
Flipper denture not only help to make your smile look good but also has many other benefits such as –
Improved appearance
Flipper denture improves aesthetic by filling the gaps of missing teeth, so you don’t have visible gaps when you smile. It improves oral health, and you can smile more confidently.
Stability of teeth
Teeth have a natural behavior of moving in space, and flipper tooth does not allow the adjacent tooth to move in a gap of missing tooth.
Cost-effective
Flipper denture is cheaper than any other alternative such as an implant, fixed bridge, etc.
Easy to prepare
Flipper denture is easy to manufacture, requires less time for preparation and it can be made in a day or two. It can also be prepared before tooth extraction and can save you from embracement of missing tooth after extraction.
Helps in healing
Flipper used after the extraction procedure prevents the wound by covering it and aids in healing. It also minimizes the post-extraction bone loss, if used immediately after extraction.
Convenient
It is easy to wear and comfortable for the patient. As it is removable, maintaining the cleanliness of the denture and oral cavity becomes an easy task.
Disadvantages of flipper denture
Some of the common problems noticed with the flipper denture are –
- You may feel uncomfortable due to the thick acrylic base of flipper denture.
- Flipper denture pressed against the gum, and it may sometimes irritate the gums. Hence, you may unknowingly land in gum diseases or ulceration of gum. (3)
- It is not possible every time to perfectly match the space of missing teeth. So the appearance of the denture may not satisfy your expectation.
- Flipper denture may cause difficulty in eating initially. You need to give yourself time to adjust to the denture.
- Teeth on flipper or the denture base can break off easily. You should be careful while using flipper denture.
- Denture base covers the gums making it difficult for saliva to clean the gums and leads to poor oral hygiene.
Maintenance of flipper denture
Maintenance of flipper denture is an essential aspect as it is directly dealing with your oral cavity. Following points should be taken care of if you have flipper denture
- Eat a soft diet for the first week and give flipper a time to adjust.
- Remove the flipper denture every night before bed. Soak your denture overnight in a glass of water with anti fungal and anti bacterial denture tablet to keep it moist and sterilize.
- Thoroughly rinse your denture after every meal. Clean denture daily with soft bristle toothbrush and toothpaste formulated for the denture to remove the debris.
- To avoid staining of your flipper denture avoid highly pigmented food and drinks such as coffee, curries, etc. (4)
- Visit year dentist once in 6month to closely monitor the fitting of your flipper denture. Over time, changes take place in the tissue and bone; this may cause the ill-fitting of the denture. Adjustment or relining of the poorly fitting denture is made to repair the denture.
- If you feel uncomfortable with your flipper denture, then do not wear it. As flipper sometimes require timely adjustment and can harm the oral tissue if it is ill-fitted.
- If you accidentally break your denture base or tooth then visit a dentist for its repair. Do not try to repair it by yourself as it may lead to ill-fitting and can make it worst for the further use.
How much the flipper denture cost?
If you have a financial limitation, flipper denture is an economical solution for you. Cost of flipper denture varies with the type of denture material used by the dentist and the number of missing tooth replaced in the denture.
Usually, flipper denture cost around $300 to $500. Cost of flipper denture is any way affordable compared to other fixed options like an implant, bridge, etc.
Taking everything into account
Flipper denture is best as a temporary replacement for your missing teeth. It preserves your aesthetic and is also functional. Taking proper care of your denture and a periodic visit to dentist contributes a lot to the success of flipper denture.
Remember that flipper denture is just a traditional solution for your missing it, it is not as effective as your natural teeth. Hence, it is always better to take efforts to preserve your teeth lifelong.