What is a Flipper Tooth

If you miss one or several teeth because of trauma or decay, kindly take comfort in understanding that you are not alone. According to the American College of Prosthodontists, more than 178 million Americans are missing at least a tooth. And virtually 40 million of them have lost all their teeth. And unfortunately, most of these people report no longer enjoying their favorite cuisines. A good fraction of these people has reported that their dental health has affected their social and professional lives.   Hence, to address this challenge, most of them have opted to turn to several types of dental restoration to enhance their radiant smiles and their teeth function. Dental bridges and implants are two of the most popular dental restorations procedures for people missing one or several teeth. While they both boost great success rates and have assisted many individuals, they are expensive. Hence, these specific oral appliances are normally unavailable for low-income people. Luckily, there are other cheap alternatives for those seeking to improve their radiant smiles and continue taking the food they enjoy.  

What is a Flipper Tooth?

  A flipper tooth is defined as an impermanent partial denture commonly deployed to fill the space left behind by a front-facing, single missing tooth. They also come in handy for guys missing all of their front-facing teeth. In a nutshell, a dental flipper is a detachable retainer consisting of one or several artificial teeth. These oral appliances are mounted along the roof of a person's mouth, commonly referred to as the palate, or sit on their bottom jaw. In both scenarios, those who put on these appliances will notice that they give a beautiful smile and make it simple to bite and masticate their delicious dishes more comprehensively.  

Flipper Tooth Benefits

  It is one of the greatest removable temporary partial denture replacement alternatives, and it is very effective. The following are several of the numerous pros of getting a flipper tooth.  

• Affordable

The main advantage of embracing a dental flipper is that it is cheaper than other options. The price of a single flipper tooth is roughly a quarter of the expense of a dental implant.  

• Easy to Produce

The dentist easily manufactures a dental flipper. Their creation process consumes less time, and in many instances, you can receive them the same day or the next.  

• Stabilizes your Existing Teeth

An impermanent flipper tooth will assist your surviving tooth from moving towards the spaces generated by the missing teeth until you get a permanent solution.  

• Convenient

A flipper tooth is easy to put on and convenient to take out and substitute.   Additional benefits include:  

• Fewer Dental Visits

You have to visit the dentist quite frequently when you get a permanent partial denture due to the metal alloy frame. However, a temporary partial denture only needs a few pretty brief visits.  

• Improving your Smile

Your smile is immediately enhanced when you put on your dental flipper. If you lack a tooth in a conspicuous area, your dental flipper will alleviate the humiliation when you crease your face with a radiant smile.  

• Lightweight

Because the flipper teeth are lightweight, you will most likely get used to putting them on easily.  

• Flexibility

The frame of your flipper tooth is supple, which means if you lose another tooth, a dentist can add it to the flipper.  

Can You Eat With a Flipper Tooth?

  It is hard to consume food if you miss one or more teeth. Not only can you eat when deploying a flipper tooth, but you will also undoubtedly masticate much better than you could in its absences.   Nonetheless, our globally-renowned Los Angeles Prosthodontist, Dr. Torbati, advises that you take caution when eating with flipper teeth since they are designed from a lightweight material, are brittle, and can break.  

Flipper Tooth Cons

  While there are numerous merits to embracing a flipper tooth to fill the spaces within your radiant smile, there are also cons. These comprise:  

• Durability

These temporary partial denture is fashioned from cheap and less durable materials. Hence, they can break more easily. If you break your dental flipper, you have to repair or replace it.  

• Discomfort

Flipper teeth might feel uncomfortable, especially when you start putting them on. And this can make things like eating and talking feel quite unnatural. If the dental flipper feels pain, book an appointment with a dentist to assess the issue.  

• Potential Allergy

Some people are allergic to the materials deployed in fabricating a flipper tooth. Ensure you disclose all the information about your allergy history with the dentist.  

• Maintenance

There is a risk of creating a breeding ground for microbes within your mouth if you do not clean the dental flipper properly.  

• Risk of Gum Recession

Flipper teeth cover the gums and halts or slacken the saliva flow within that region. Well, saliva plays a crucial role in keeping the gums clean, curbing potential recession.  

• May Loosen Over Time

Flipper's teeth are meant to clamp the existing teeth, but frequent use might make the grip weak. You may have to request the dentist give your flipper tooth a fine-tuning, so it fits comfortably again.  

• Gum Disease (Gingivitis) and Tooth Decay

While dental flipper images posted on Facebook and Instagram showing guys who are pleased with their new phony front teeth may encourage you to get them yourself. But it would help if you realized that they would need to pay utmost attention to their oral hygiene. From research, it is quite evident that for those who wear them, a flipper tooth can raise the threats of gingivitis and advance tooth loss if they are not washed meticulously.  

Flipper Tooth Cost in Los Angeles

  Having provided conclusive answers to what is a dental flipper and the merits and demerits linked to wearing them, let us pay attention to flipper tooth cost in West Los Angeles. According to research, the cost of dental flippers is anywhere from $300 to $500. By comparison, a single dental implant costs somewhere between $1,395 and $3,500.   Akin savings are also witnessed by those willing to select a temporary partial denture over a dental bridge. And this is a major deal-breaker in the dentures vs flippers debate. According to research, relying on the number of teeth a person lacks, a dental bridge costs anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000.   Although dental flippers are not a long-lasting solution for tooth loss as they are nothing temporary partial dentures, inserted and taken out of a person's mouth, they represent the pocket-friendly alternative.  

How Do You Take Care of a Flipper Tooth?

  Caring for a flipper tooth is simple if you adhere to a proper care program. Like any other temporary partial denture, it is advisable to wash your flipper tooth daily to get rid of plaque and minute food particles.   You can achieve this using a toothbrush with soft and supple bristles, warm water, and a mild detergent such as a dishwashing detergent or hand soap. Rinse your flipper tooth comprehensively before placing it back into your mouth. Do not clean the flipper tooth with toothpaste since it can destroy them.   Contact a dentist for adjustment if your flipper tooth is causing you discomfort, pain, or loss. Please do not move your tongue around your mouth since it can loosen the flipper tooth. In addition, kindly steer clear of dark-colored foods and drinks, for example, coffee, beets, and juice.   Ensure they do not get desiccated when you are not utilizing the flipper tooth. Lack of water makes them susceptible to breaking and feeling pain. Keep the flipper tooth moisturized by keeping it within a denture cleaning soak or water when you remove it from your mouth. If you use water, ensure that it is not too hot, as it can make a dental flipper twist.   Finally, it is crucial to keep up with your general oral health. Ensuring your gums and surviving teeth are healthy and properly cleaned can assist in lowering the risk of gingivitis, gum recession, sensitivity, discomfort, and decay. Visit a medical specialist two times a year for cleaning and checkups, and brush and floss at least twice daily.  

How to Tell if You Are an Ideal Candidate for Flipper Teeth?

  Typically a flipper tooth is deployed for a short duration, such as when an individual is waiting for a permanent tooth replacement alternative like fixed bridge and dental implants. They are frequently employed in replacing front teeth.   But since a flipper tooth is synonymous with discomfort and can sit loosely within the mouth, it is usually not proposed for long-haul use.   In some situations, a flipper tooth is the greatest permanent prosthetic tooth solution available for an individual missing one or more teeth. This is usually the situation if you are not a great candidate for a fixed bridge or dental implant. This point is a major deal-breaker in the dentures vs flippers debate.  

Can Kids Also Wear a Dental Flipper?

  As a grown-up, you can put on flipper teeth if you miss more than one teeth, which are not adjacent to each other. The concept is to bring back the look of your natural teeth affordably and swiftly. Relying on your situation, you can use flipper teeth temporarily or as a permanent solution for the missing teeth. If your kid has undergone trauma or decay of their front teeth, flipper teeth are a feasible choice.   There are cases where the dentist might propose a dental flipper for your kid if they do not have permanent teeth yet. Regrettably, children always tease each other. If your kid is missing teeth, it can lead to a decline in their self-confidence. Getting flipper teeth for your kids enables them to have a gorgeous radiant smile. This is necessary for your children since it makes them feel great about themselves.  

Can I Sleep While Wearing Flipper Teeth?

  If you put on flipper teeth every day and night, you will mount immense pressure on the tissues. The outcomes can cause a gum recession and bone weakening. Wearing flipper teeth as you sleep can also cause a fungal infection within the gums. Because this kind of infection is painless, you might fail to notice it.   Removing the dental flipper before you sleep ensures the gums get sufficient time to breathe. Your best choice is to put down the flipper every night for roughly eight hours, and the easiest time to achieve this is when sleeping.  

How Long Can I wear my Dental Flipper?

  Dental flippers are a temporary solution as you wait for the gums to heal and get an actual implant. However, some patients choose to wear the temporary partial dentures permanently due to their affordability, lightweight, and simple modification procedure.   In addition, flipper tooth is a long-term solution for kids below the age of 17 who lack teeth until they are sufficiently old to receive implants. Because flippers are easily broken or destroyed, they demand frequent maintenance to keep them clean and get rid of plaque and minute bits of food—a move that will also protect your gums and teeth.  

Alternative to Getting a Flipper Tooth

  Flipper tooth is not your only solution; suppose you lack one or several teeth. Some alternatives include:  

1. Permanent Fixes

Permanent prosthetic fixes to flipper teeth last longer and are costly compared to dental flippers:  

• Dental Bridges: Like flippers, bridges also enhance the tooth's appearance, alignment, shape, and one's ability to chew. Rather than being part of a denture, these are prosthetic teeth mounted directly to the existing teeth or an implant with bonds, crowns, and cement.
• Dental implant: it is a post, identical to a root surgically mounted to the jawbone to keep a prosthetic tooth in place. There is no need to anchor implants to other teeth. Unlike a denture, an implant is not inclined to get loose as time goes by. They imitate, feel, and function as typical teeth.

2. Temporary Fixes

There are temporary partial dentures, which last longer than some dental flippers and are quite affordable compared to permanent fixes. They are more costly than dental flippers. Such options comprise:  

• Fixed partial dentures: these are fractional dentures connected to your connecting teeth. They are only deployed if you have healthy teeth, implants, and roots to mount the prostheses.
• Snap-on-smile is a modified partial denture that fits the existing teeth up to the gums, devoid of lacing the palate. It is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure and is typically painless.

Final Thoughts

  In retrospect, despite some of the drawbacks pointed out in this blog post, dental flippers are a great affordable means of filling the gap left behind by missing teeth. To understand how these appliances work, you are encouraged to schedule a dental consultation with Dr. Arman Torbati DDS, the best cosmetic dentist in West Los Angeles.