How Long Do Implants Last?
Which part of an implant lasts and which part wears, the habits that cut its life short, and the routine at home and in the practice that keeps it going.
How Long Will a Dental Implant Last?
Looked after well, the implant in the bone can last for decades, often for life; long-term studies generally find the large majority still in place after ten years or more. The crown on top wears like any crown and may need replacing at some point. Smoking, gum inflammation and skipped hygiene visits are what usually shorten an implant's life, which is why our Hamilton patients get a 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months.
Three Parts, Three Lifespans
It helps to split the tooth into its parts.
- The implant, the titanium post fused to the jawbone, is the part built to last. Once bonded, it doesn't decay and rarely fails if the gum and bone around it stay healthy.
- The abutment, the small connector screwed into the implant, can loosen or wear, and is replaced without disturbing the implant.
- The crown is the visible tooth, and it takes all the wear of chewing. Like a crown on a natural tooth, it may chip or wear and need replacing after a number of years.
A crown remade after fifteen years is maintenance, not a failed implant.
What the Evidence Says
Modern titanium implants have been used since the 1960s, and long-term studies repeatedly find that the great majority are still working ten years and more after placement. Results in any one mouth depend on health, habits and care, so no dentist can promise you a number. What we can say is which factors matter most.
Already Have Implants?
Plan B membership includes four Airflow hygiene visits a year, which suits implant care.
What Shortens an Implant's Life
| Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Smoking or vaping | Reduces blood flow to the gum and bone, slows healing and raises the chance of inflammation and bone loss |
| Peri-implantitis | Gum inflammation around the implant that, untreated, erodes the supporting bone |
| A history of gum disease | The same bacteria can attack the gum around an implant |
| Diabetes that isn't well controlled | Slower healing and more infection |
| Grinding or clenching | Overloads the crown, screw and bone |
| Missed dental examinations | Small problems go unnoticed until they need bigger treatment |
| Poor planning | An implant placed off-angle or in thin bone starts with less support |
Peri-Implantitis in Plain Terms
An implant can't get a cavity, but the gum around it can get inflamed in the same way gum around a natural tooth does. A film of plaque settles where crown meets gum, the tissue turns puffy and starts bleeding on brushing, and if that's allowed to continue, the inflammation spreads down into the bone, which slowly recedes from the implant.
Spotted early, while it's only in the gum, it usually settles with professional cleaning and better brushing at home. Left for years, it can loosen the implant. That's why cleaning around an implant is the single biggest thing that decides how long it lasts.
Your Routine at Home
- Morning and night, angle a soft or powered brush into the gum margin all the way round the implant
- Once a day, use interdental brushes sized for each gap; we'll fit you for the right ones
- Use a water flosser under bridges and full-arch teeth, where brushes can't reach
- Wear a night guard if you grind; the wear on your teeth tells us if you do
- Stop smoking, and ask us for support if you'd like it
Care at the Practice
Hygiene visits remove the hardened deposits that brushing can't, and give us a regular look at the gum, the bone level on X-rays, and whether anything has worked loose. We'd like to see implant patients four times a year, and keeping to that is one of the guarantee conditions.
Simra Ashraf, our hygienist, uses Airflow, a fine jet of powder and water that cleans gently around implant surfaces. Plan B membership includes four Airflow hygiene visits a year, and usually works out cheaper than paying visit by visit; the dental plans page has the details.
Our Guarantee
Our implants are MegaGen AnyRidge, a product awarded the CleanImplant Trusted Quality seal after independent cleanliness testing. Implant treatment here comes with a 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months, with the full terms in your consent form. In the uncommon event that one fails, the usual answer is to take it out, let the area heal and put in another. Our guide to failed implants explains how.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.