---
title: "What Is Dental flipper? Dental Glossary | Town Center Dental"
description: "A dental flipper is a light, removable plastic tooth or set of teeth that fills a gap for a short time, often while a longer-term option is made."
url: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-flipper
publisher: Town Center Dental
phone: +1-636-273-5866
quote: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment
---

Dentures and Bridges

# Dental flipper

A dental flipper is a light, removable plastic tooth or set of teeth that fills a gap for a short time, often while a longer-term option is made.

A flipper is a small partial denture made of acrylic. It has one or more replacement teeth on a gum-colored base that rests against the roof of the mouth or the gums. A paper in the NIH library describes the all-acrylic removable partial denture as a temporary or interim denture also known as a flipper. People often wear one while healing from an extraction, while waiting for a [dental implant](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-implant), or while a [bridge](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-bridge) is made. A flipper is light and less sturdy than a standard [partial denture](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/partial-denture). It can break or feel bulky, and it is not meant for hard chewing. Your dentist will talk with you about how long to use one. See our [dentures](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dentures) page.

[Town Center Dental can helpDentures](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dentures)

## Related terms

-   [Partial denture](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/partial-denture)
-   [Dental bridge](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-bridge)
-   [Dental implant](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-implant)
-   [Acrylic](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/acrylic)
-   [Denture repair](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/denture-repair)

## Sources

1.  [NIH PubMed Central: Flexible Thermoplastic Denture Base Materials for Aesthetical Removable Partial Denture Framework](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3843478/)

## Ready when you are

[Request an appointment](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment)[Call (636) 273-5866](tel:+1-636-273-5866)