While the primary benefit of dental implants is most commonly thought of as them being able to replace a missing tooth or multiple teeth, there are other benefits to having dental implants fitted. These include that they are comfortable, they can promote a healthy jawbone, and they can also reverse issues that may have occurred with regards to facial appearance and speech.

Another benefit we have not yet mentioned is the fact that dental implants are extremely durable, and as such a patient who has dental implants fitted today, can expect them to last them for many years. However, although the title of this article poses the question, ‘How Long Should You Expect Your Dental Implants To Last?’ it is almost impossible to answer it with any certainty or accuracy.

We are not trying to cop out by saying that, but rather, we are merely pointing out that the length of time dental implant will last for anyone individual is something which will have a multiplicity of influences and an almost infinite number of possibilities. This can range from less than a year if all of the worst scenarios occur, to over 20 years, if everything positive falls into place.

In order to help you to understand why we place such a broad timescale upon the question of dental implant longevity, here are just some of the influences and circumstances that might come into play.

Accidents And Damage

We were considering calling this section ‘Acts of God’ but as many accidents are self-inflicted we thought not. What we are looking at are scenarios where a person with dental implants has some kind of misadventure or accident that leads to an injury to their mouth, jaw, or their teeth, including their dental implants being damaged. This could happen on day 1, day 1,001 or day 5,001.

Jawbone Strength And ​Integrity

There are many things that influence the strength of the jawbone, and that in turn affects the stability of dental implants fitted to it. As we age jawbone integrity diminishes, and so the specific age at which an individual has dental implants fitted obviously has the potential to influence how long they will last.

Level Of Oral Care

Having dental implants does not give you a free pass to avoid oral care, in fact it should do the opposite so that you do not lose more teeth and have to spend thousands more on more dental impacts. Caring for dental implants should match the care of real teeth and the better you care for them the longer they will last.

Other Oral Health Issues

If for any reason our oral health deteriorates then it can negatively impact on how stable any dental implants we have might be. Gum disease is one, plus if we lose additional teeth but do not replace them, there is further risk of our jawbone weakening and our dental implants coming loose.

Other Underlying Medical Conditions

Our overall health impacts the lifespan of dental implants. Again there are issues with bone intensity being compromised due to a number of medical conditions which might beset us, such as osteoporosis and Paget’s disease, which may not have been present at the time we had dental implants fitted. The onset of Immunity disorders and diabetes can also cause complications in relation to dental impacts.

Lifestyle

You could apply our lifestyle to anything relating to our health and it will impact them negatively or positively and of course that includes dental impacts. Poor diet, smoking, drinking excess alcohol, lack of exercise all contribute to ill health, the onset of certain medical conditions, weakening bones and ultimately a loss of our dental implants if our jawbone can no longer support them.

Quality Of Dental Implants

This is something which only you can determine when you are doing your search for a dental implants practitioner. Research the specific dental implant brand they plan to use and make sure it has an excellent track record, lots of positive reviews and are guaranteed against any kind of manufacturing fault that might compromise their lifespan.