Dental Flipper
| A
dental flipper is the least expensive way to replace a
missing
tooth. Often it is used as a temporary tooth replacement while you
wait for a dental bridge or for
healing after a dental implant is
placed. |
A dental flipper is made out of acrylic. It is made by taking an
impression of your mouth, and then a plaster cast is poured. The
cast is sent to a laboratory with a prescription that includes the
shade of the tooth. An acrylic tooth is selected that most closely
matches the shade of your teeth, and a pink plate is molded to fit
your palate (on the upper) or to fit just inside the tongue side of
your teeth (on the lower). |
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For a little extra cost, wires with little ball
ends can be placed to help secure the dental flipper in your mouth.
Otherwise, it is secured by the pink acrylic snapping between your
teeth. A variation is the Valplast
flipper, pictured at left. Valplast is more flexible than the
traditional acrylic that a flipper is made of, and can be made
translucent for enhanced esthetics in some situations. |
While a dental flipper is meant
to be temporary, some people wear them for years. They press
somewhat on the gums and so are not very healthy for the gums. They
also break easily, and it can be difficult to eat with them—they
may not be strong enough to eat on and may have to be removed for
meals. |
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