Telescopic crown is a flexible and convenient retention mode which is widely applied in patients with periodontal disease, as well as in occlusal reconstruction, restoration of dentition defect with most tooth missed, and congenital dentition defect. Telescopic crowns are also used as retainers or combined application with other retainers. Telescopic crowns can transfer the pressure along the long axis of the abutment teeth and connect the abutments into a whole. As a consequence it leads to a good retention forces, better standing for greater masticatory pressure and higher masticatory efficiency than ordinary removable denture. At the same time it can be used as periodontal splint for loosen teeth involved in periodontal disease. At present, the satisfaction and long-term success rates of telescopic crown have been confirmed, but the problems of retention force of outer crown decreased and abutment tooth loose out of occlusal trauma still exist. In this article, the angle and the height of inner crown, buffer zone, material properties, production processes and methods of the telescopic crown retainer are discussed and elaborated in order to provide some references for the design and choosing of the telescopic crown retainer.
