Maxillary complete denture and mandibular telescopic overdenture: A case report

Objective: The goal of this article was to describe the importance of saving the natural remaining teeth and the fabrication of telescopic dentures as an alternative to the conventional removable dentures, to minimize the complete denture problems. Background: Telescopic dentures consist of an inner or primary telescopic coping which is permanently cemented to an abutment and an outer or secondary telescopic coping which is attached to the prosthesis. These copings protect the abutment from dental caries and thermal irritations and also provide retention and stabilization of the secondary coping. The secondary coping engages the primary copings to form a telescopic unit and it provides retention and stability to the prosthesis. Materials and Methods: An impression was made with a polyvinyl siloxane elastomer after preparation of the abutments and primary copings were fabricated on the cast . After evaluating the fit of the primary copings on the abutments, they were cemented with glass ionomer cement. An impression of the cemented primary copings was made for the fabrication of secondary copings with retention beads, which were attached to the prosthesis. Conclusion: Telescopic overdentures have better retention and stability as compared to complete dentures, they improve the chewing efficiency and the comfort of the patient and they also decrease the alveolar bone resorption.