The telescopic denture: a firm seat without visible clasps

With a telescopic denture the remaining teeth are given a firmly cemented inner crown. The denture carries the matching outer crown. The two slide into each other and hold by friction – like two tubes pushed together, hence the name.

Why it is so popular

It sits noticeably more firmly than a clasp denture, is not recognisable as a denture from outside, can be taken out for cleaning – and it can be extended: if an abutment tooth is lost, the denture is usually reworked instead of remade.

What it requires

At least two, better four load-bearing abutments, well distributed in the jaw. The teeth have to be crowned, and therefore ground down. And they need healthy gums – with untreated periodontitis this is the wrong restoration.

Costs and care

Telescopic work belongs to the more elaborate prostheses; the fixed allowance covers a smaller part of it. In care, the margin of the inner crowns is the critical spot: that is where decay forms if it is not cleaned thoroughly every day.