Can you use a dental flipper for a bottom tooth?
- Debra from Colorado
Debra,
A flipper is a simple tooth replacement, usually for one or two missing teeth, that merely affixes a false tooth on a plastic plate that snaps into your mouth. It usually has a couple of simple wire clasps on it. It’s most often used for upper teeth, because they are the most visible and cause the most embarrassment if they’re missing. But yes, depending on the room the dentist has between your lower teeth and where your tongue attaches, a flipper can probably be made to replace a bottom tooth.
Just remember that a dental flipper is not very sturdy and is usually made to be temporary.
- Dr. Hall
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Dr. Hall,
I have removable partial dentures and a small piece of the gumline portion of my upper partial broke off. I realize one should not use super glue to repair dentures but this is not a tooth and is above the gum line. Does this require professional work or can I fix it myself?
Thanks,
- David from Washington
David,
It’s tempting to go ahead and repair it yourself, since the piece is so small. The important thing in a repair like this is to get the pieces exactly in the same position they were in before they broke. Even a fraction of a millimeter deviation will cause sore spots. So that’s what needs to be done.
But superglue – superglue will deteriorate after a few days in the mouth, so the repair won’t likely hold. And there’s no common household product I’m aware of that will really hold a repair like this.
And, another problem with superglue is that, once the pieces come apart again, you will make the professional repair more difficult and likely more expensive. Maybe even quite a bit more expensive. The leftover superglue on the pieces makes it so the dental technician can’t fit the pieces back into the exact position they were in, meaning that a new impression could be required, which adds quite a bit to the expense.
So I’d get a dental office to repair this, even though it seems expensive. And the sooner you do it, the easier it is and likely the cheaper it will be.
- Dr. Hall
Related information:
Denture repair
Complete dentures
Cosmetic dentures
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Dr. Hall
My dentist says I need a five unit bridge. I have a lot of bone loss from gum disease and he is afraid a partial will place too much pressure on my teeth since they are somewhat loose. The price he quoted is $5500 plus extraction costs. Is this a reasonable price or should I look elsewhere?
- Lela in Texas
Dear Lela,
The fee is in line for Texas. But I don’t understand why he’s suggesting a dental bridge instead of a removable partial denture. Maybe there’s something different about your situation. But a removable partial places less stress on the adjacent teeth and is much less risky. A bridge puts a lot of stress on the teeth it attaches to. And then, if you have a problem with one of those teeth it is resting on, you have to scrap the whole thing and start over, whereas with a partial you can later add a tooth to it without a lot of work or expense.
I’d encourage you to get a second opinion to see if the bridge is really the best treatment for you.
- Dr. Hall
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