Temporary and Flipper Dentures: Filling the Gap
An interim denture is a temporary appliance worn during a transitional period — while extraction sites heal before a definitive denture is made, while implants integrate, while a complex treatment plan proceeds, or simply to restore appearance and some function quickly at low cost.
What interim denture involves
An interim denture is a temporary appliance worn during a transitional period — while extraction sites heal before a definitive denture is made, while implants integrate, while a complex treatment plan proceeds, or simply to restore appearance and some function quickly at low cost. It is made from acrylic with a simpler technique and fewer appointments than a definitive appliance, and it is not expected to last. That is the point: it fills a gap in time rather than providing a long-term solution, and the money spent on it is deliberately modest.
When this treatment is used
Most commonly fitted after multiple extractions, worn through the three to six months of healing and ridge remodelling, and then replaced by a definitive denture once the shape has stabilised. Also used as a low-cost immediate solution for a patient who cannot proceed to definitive treatment yet.
How it differs from an immediate denture
An immediate denture (D5130/D5140) is made as a definitive appliance, fitted on the day of extractions, and relined once healing completes. An interim denture is made as a temporary appliance from the outset and is expected to be replaced entirely. The distinction matters for cost and for benefits. Plans usually treat interim dentures as a lower-cost benefit and may count them against the replacement frequency for a definitive appliance — which occasionally means an interim denture now blocks coverage for the real one in eighteen months. That is worth checking before agreeing to the sequence.
Costs and insurance in summary
Typical fee range across the group: $0–$0 where a single band applies. Several codes here are priced individually and carry their own range on their own page. Priced well below a definitive denture. Relines during the healing period are usually additional.
Benefit category: Major prosthodontic, typically 50% on a typical plan. Covered as a prosthodontic benefit. Check whether it counts against the replacement frequency for a definitive denture, because on some plans it does.
Common restrictions: May count against the replacement frequency for a definitive appliance; Waiting periods apply as for other prosthodontic benefits; Relines during healing are usually separate.
The codes this guide covers
Each of these describes a variant of the same procedure. Follow a code for its own fee range, its coverage notes and what distinguishes it from the rest of the group.
| Code | Variant | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| D5810 | Interim complete denture (maxillary) — most reported | $700–$1,600 |
| D5811 | Interim complete denture (mandibular) | $700–$1,600 |
| D5820 | Interim partial denture (maxillary) | $500–$1,300 |
| D5821 | Interim partial denture (mandibular) | $500–$1,300 |
Common questions
What is an interim denture?
A temporary acrylic appliance worn while extraction sites heal or while a longer treatment plan proceeds. It is made to be replaced rather than to last.
How long do you wear an interim denture?
Usually three to six months, until the ridge has finished its rapid remodelling and an accurate impression for a definitive appliance can be taken.
Is an interim denture covered by insurance?
Generally yes at the prosthodontic rate, but on some plans it counts against the replacement frequency for a definitive denture — worth checking first.