The basics
What is a partial denture?
A partial denture is a custom plate carrying one or more replacement teeth. It fits into the gaps in your smile and is held steady by your own teeth. Besides filling the space, it stops the teeth either side from tipping or drifting, and it stops the opposite teeth from over-erupting into the gap, which helps keep your bite stable.
People often call a partial a "plate for teeth" or a "false tooth plate", and a small one-tooth acrylic partial is sometimes called a flipper. Our article on how teeth plates work explains the design in more depth if you would like to read further.










