How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

The major question that people ask when it comes to dental implants is, “What is the long-term success rate?” or “How long will they last?”.

The simple answer to the long-term success rate of dental implants is that dental implants can fail but very infrequently. Failure rates vary depending on the site in the mouth, whether they are placed into natural or grafted bone, and whether the patient smokes or has other underlying health problems. The overall success rate in natural bone is over 95%, although this falls slightly in grafted bone. If a patient smokes it has been shown that he or she is statistically two and a half times more likely to have an implant fail than a non-smoker.

As to the longevity of dental implants, at the present time we cannot answer this question numerically. Many patients who had implants placed over 40 years ago still have original implants in function today.

The best steps to take to avoid encountering ailing or failing dental implants are to maintain meticulous oral hygiene, and to evaluate the dental implant both clinically and radiographically at frequent recall visits with your dentist.