Whether you are an adult who lost a front tooth due to decay or an accident, there are a couple of reasons to ask about having a flipper made while deciding what type of permanent tooth you want. A flipper is a temporary, lightweight false tooth. When your child has lost a tooth, having a flipper until the permanent tooth grows also has some benefits.

Diminish Bone Loss and Keep Other Teeth in Place

When a tooth is lost, it can take a few months for your gums to heal well enough to have an implant inserted to replace it. During this time, the underlying bone will deteriorate, changing the shape of your jawbone. This can create a situation in which any false tooth you were having made will no longer fit properly. The simple act of wearing a flipper while waiting for the gums to heal and the new tooth to be made will keep the bone from deteriorating and keeps the surrounding teeth from shifting.

Improved Speech

Unfortunately, the time when children tend to lose their front teeth coincides with the time they are perfecting their speech patterns. When there are no front teeth for the tongue to press against the sounds come out differently. Some children compensate for this, and it becomes a habit. When their permanent teeth grow in, they still form the sounds as if there were no teeth, creating a lisp or other speech impediment. Wearing a flipper to replace the missing front teeth allows these children to learn to form the sounds correctly.

Maintain Confidence

Having a missing front tooth can make you feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. When you have a job that requires any type of public speaking, this may cause problems at work. Your lack of confidence may cause subordinates to lose respect, or cause potential customers to take their business elsewhere. Wearing a flipper until you have a permanent replacement tooth keeps you from being embarrassed by the way you look when you open your mouth.

Flippers are simple to wear, and can be taken out at night easily. Since they are not meant to be a permanent tooth, they can usually be made within one day. If you are going to have the tooth pulled due to decay, the flipper can be made in the morning, before the tooth is pulled. You will go back in the afternoon to have the tooth pulled and the flipper inserted. If you think that a flipper sounds right for you, contact a dental office such as Four Corners Dental Group Fairbanks.   

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