How to Care for Your Flipper

A dental flipper, or an acrylic removable partial denture, is a temporary denture that is used when someone's tooth needs to be replaced with a dental crown or bridge. Because it will take a while to make a customized crown, the flipper is used instead as a temporary tooth. Flippers are the most inexpensive type of dentures, which is why a lot of people end up using them for years instead of temporarily. To make it last longer, you need to take care of your flipper.

Things You'll Need

• Soft toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Glass of water
• Denture tablet

Instructions

1. Remove the dental flipper from your mouth and wash it under running water. Dental flippers are made of acrylic, so they are easy to wash.

2. Brush the acrylic portion of the dental flipper to remove the oil. You can also use a mild toothpaste if you want it to have an agent to clean the denture. You can also brush the fake tooth attached to the denture using a soft toothbrush and toothpaste.

3. Rinse it again in running water. You can brush the denture while rinsing it to remove all the dirt and oils that have accumulated over the day.

4. Soak the flipper in a glass of water overnight. You can put a denture tablet into the water to keep the temporary denture clean. Denture tablets are dissolvable, so just drop one in the glass of water. Some tablets fizz while dissolving. Remove the flipper in the morning, rinse with water and then insert in your mouth.

Tips & Warnings

• If there are stains on your dental flipper and you cannot remove it by brushing, you can put a tablespoon of vinegar in a glass of water and soak the flipper for two to three hours. Do not soak it overnight because the vinegar can damage the temporary denture if left soaking too long. You can do this once or twice a month.

References

• The Holistic Dental Center: Caring For Your Flipper