Here at Tribeca Advanced Dentistry’s downtown New York office, we get asked, “How long do dental implants last” quite often. It’s a great question, especially considering the fact that complex dental implants and full-mouth rehabilitation can be rather costly. Patients want to know that their All-on-4 Implant procedure is gong to last them for the long haul.
Many of our patients perceive dental procedures as long-term, but ultimately temporary – something that they will eventually have to spend the same amount of money on (if not more) in the future.
Let’s look at this from a different perspective. Dental implants have been around for thousands of years. In fact, anthropologists discovered crude versions of implants in ancient Egyptian mummies. However, it wasn’t until around 50 years ago that modern implant dentistry was born in Sweden, with the first modern dental implants being placed in 1965 by Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark.
40 years after that original dental implant – the first ever modern dental implant procedure, mind you – the original implants were still in place when the patient died in 2005.
Since that time – with each new decade – researchers have made great strides in the quality of materials they use and the techniques they employ. Success rates have only increased.
In the present time, implants are made out of titanium that is chemically treated to improve compatibility with actual living tissue. Often, these implants are designed with 3D software for better placement and superior fit with other teeth.
Even though dental implants are typically more expensive than a dental bridge or dentures, they last much, much longer. Also, patients don’t suffer from bone loss with implants like they do with dental bridges that are done without implanted posts.
In fact, according to current research in implant dentistry, dental implants have a 95% survival rate after ten years, which is a figure estimated using multiple clinical trials and long-term follow-up studies. Basically, failure of a high-quality dental implant is relatively rare and, if done properly by trained oral surgeons, periodontists, or prosthodontists, should last a lifetime.
Not only that, most high-quality implants also have a lifetime warranty for both dental implants and implant parts. Typically, if a dental implant is going to fail, it occurs within the first six months where it usually fails to heal (osseointegrate). In that situation, the implant can easily be removed and replaced by another in a small amount of time.
When it really comes down to it, the best way you can ensure your dental implants last as long as they can is to maintain proper dental hygiene, schedule dental cleanings and checkups twice a year, and follow doctor recommendations. As dentists, we are unable to provide guarantees because an individual’s overall health is a factor beyond our control – factors such as nutrition, genetics, or disease.
So, although we here at Tribeca Advanced Dentistry can’t say 100% that your dental implants will last the rest of your life, we can say that healthy living, choosing a high-quality dental specialist for the procedure, and regular follow-ups should help you “tip the scales” in your favor, so to speak.
If you have any questions, or would like to schedule an appointment with Tribeca Advanced Dentistry’s downtown New York office, click here to contact us.