Hi everyone,

Due to ongoing dental infections, I have to get two teeth pulling (canine and premolar behind it).  My understanding is that I'll have to temporary "flapper" for 3-6 months before they can do the implant, and then I'll wait another 3-6 months to get the crowns put on. 

Do any of you have experience with this?  How did the "flapper" affect you - eating, speaking, etc.?  I'm really worried that I basically can't have a normal life for a year - and that's assuming that the implant takes...

Thanks,
Josh

I had to look on the internet to know what is a flapper, cuz I'm not that fluent in english lol but it seems that the name is flipper.

Anyway, if it is what I think it is, a flipper is a temporary immediate partial denture. Your dentist would take a mold of your mouth before the extrations and you would leave with the  fake tooth at the same day, while your gum and bone heals.

You may talk a little funny at the beginning, but you should get used to it fast. Eating shouldn be a problem either, but I dont recomend on eating nothing too hard, at least not with the fake tooth. In most cases, the flipper adapts well and will be well fit in the gaps of the tooth, but that depends on each case.

There are, however, some cases of immediate implant, that you extract the teeth and puts the implant at the same day. But this depends on each case, and, since I dont knows your case and I'm not a specialist, I cant truly say what you should do.

I hope I helped a little. Like i said, I'm no specialist, and the language barrier is kinda hard for me (specially in professional terms), but I guess you will understand me!

Sadly, I have lots of experience of this. I had a cist which pushed out one of my front teeth. I thought I could manage with a partial denture and save the cost and inconvenience of an implant.

It was fine,  for about 20 minutes, and then  my extreme gag reflex kicked in and after that I could  only stand it for a few seconds.

The solution which is working well so far was to put a side extension on one of my canines. The cost was about half what an implant would cost. It requires that the root on the adjacent tooth is strong. Note that it's not a bridge and is only attached to one tooth.

My wife however has had a  partial front denture for around ten years and says she can't feel it at all, but she has no gag reflex at all.