As implant dentists, one of the questions we often get asked here at No Gaps Dental is how long do dental implants last? The short answer is that it may be anywhere between 10 and 40 years so with this in mind, we explain what influences dental implant longevity and what you can and should realistically expect.
Success Rate Factors
As you can imagine, the longevity of a dental implant can differ from patient to patient and hinges greatly upon any number of ‘success rate’ factors – factors that include…
- The type of dental implants placed
- The position it is placed in – whereabouts in the mouth?
- A patient’s current and ongoing oral health
- A patient’s lifestyle habits and,
- Their willingness to maintain their dental implant restorations
Let’s take a closer look at each of those success factors in turn…
Firstly, Dental Implant Types
Some patients are fitted with mini dental implants (MDI’s) which are typically used to secure upper or lower dentures or partials.
While they do a great job of securing denture appliances and are also cheaper than conventional tooth implants, they aren’t as strong and therefore don’t last as long.
Conversely, some dentists may choose to fit cheaper ‘lesser’ brand dental implants to pass on savings to their patients. Often ‘lesser’ implants don’t have the years of clinical testing and proven track record that well-known brands like Straumann, Nobel Biocare and Biomet have. Therefore, their dental implant longevity is unknown.
Dental Implant Positioning
Another important factor that can influence dental implant longevity is where in the mouth the implant is positioned. If you think about it for a second, our natural teeth aren’t made equal.
Our molar teeth, for example, are stronger by nature because they are designed to crush and break food down. Therefore, they need to be able to withstand greater bite force.
So if a dental implant is needed to replace say an upper molar, it would be prone to more day to day wear and tear than say a replacement for one of your canine or incisor teeth. As a result, it may not last as long -although this isn’t always the case.
Current And Ongoing Oral State
There’s a ‘not so old’ saying which states that the ‘long-term success of a dental implant is only ever as good as the state of the mouth it goes into.’ In other words, if you have a healthy mouth free from gum disease or other concerns, your newly placed dental implants will stand a better chance of survival. This is why dentists ensure that any oral problems are dealt with first before fitting any form of implant-based restoration as standard.
It’s the same going forwards. Gum disease can wreak havoc with dental implants and even though they are not ‘real teeth’ in the true sense of the word, the implant can easily succumb to gum disease problems and become loose, just like our natural teeth.
Lifestyle Habits
Two of the biggest factors that affect the success rate of a dental implant are smoking and teeth grinding (bruxism).
Smoking – especially in the early stages of a dental implants procedure can release harmful bacteria that attack the gum and in turn, the implant. In addition, smoking can also impact bone growth – a vital component of the dental implant procedure. For this reason, patients are strongly advised to quit smoking – at least for the duration of their treatment.
Nocturnal teeth grinding (known as bruxism) occurs during sleep and the act of clenching the jaw and grinding can cause untold damage to teeth and by definition – dental implants too. Those who suffer from teeth grinding (bruxers) may be asked to wear a custom mouthguard during sleep to protect the teeth and implants.
Oral Habits
Perhaps the key factor that affects dental implant longevity is ongoing oral habits.
Despite implants being a permanent, natural-looking and hassle-free solution, you can’t simply ‘set them and forget them.’ On the contrary, dental implants, just like teeth, need to be kept free from bacteria or plaque.
Therefore those who can commit to a good standard of oral care for the long term, are likely to have greater success with regards to the longevity of their dental implants.
So now you know what success factors influence how long dental implants last, what can you expect in reality?
Here’s what we do know…
The very first dental implants were placed into a human patient back in 1965. They remained in place and fully functioning right up until his death in 2006 some 40 years later.
So will all dental implants last that long?
Some will and some won’t!
The reality is that it’s impossible to tell as there are too many influencing factors that all play their part. Aside from the fact that when compared to other forms of restoration, dental implants are still in their infancy, there are many people who have had implants for 10 years or more that may outlive that initial patient – we just don’t know!
So What Can You Expect?
We like to advise patients that they should expect at least 10 years out of their implants and possibly 20. In fact, clinical research states that survival rates for implants at 10 years is around 94% and remains high at 91% after 15 years. So it isn’t an unfeasible stretch of the imagination to suggest that the majority of patients will retain fully functioning implants after 20 years.
If you would like to find out more about dental implant longevity and are considering dental implants to replace missing teeth, contact the team at No Gaps Dental today.
With multiple locations conveniently based around Sydney and flexible payment plans to boot, we make getting dental implants a viable choice. Book a smile consultation today. Call us now on (02) 8806 0227.