How long do Dental Implants Last?

If you are thinking about having dental implants fitted, you may be wondering how long they last. This is a sensible question because dental implant surgery is not cheap and the longer the implant remains successfully fulfilling its role in your mouth the better.

Do Dental Implants Ever Fail?

Dental implants that are fitted by a competent U.K. dental surgeon can and do fail occasionally. In fact, the failure rate is around 5% overall. However, there are many circumstances which can cause an implant to fail prematurely which are well known. In the unusual situation where an implant has been fitted on to a bone graft, for instance, the failure rate jumps to 15%.

If you listen carefully to advice from your dentist when the implant or implants are fitted and make sure that you carry out this advice with respect to your teeth, then the chance of failure is much less likely. Heavy smokers, for instance, have been demonstrated to lose an implant more readily than a non smoker. Of course, having regular dental check-ups will also mean that failure is less likely as any sign that there is  a potential problem can be addressed straight away.

How Long Can a Dental Implant Last?

This is a difficult question to answer as dental implant technology has only been used on large numbers of patients relatively recently, so it will be a few years before accurate statistics will be able to be compiled to determine the average length of any particular implant. As a matter of interest, a man called Görsta Larsson is thought to be the first person to have dental implants successfully fitted, back in 1960. He died in 2006 still with his implants in place! This means that for this particular man, anyway, his implants lasted at least 40 years!

What Should I do to prolong the Life of a Dental Implant?

Much more is known about what a person who has had dental implants fitted should do to ensure their implants last as long as possible. Dental implants have been around for over thirty years now and they are designed to be as long lasting as possible. There is no reason why an implant that has been fitted by a professional and competent dental surgeon should not last for the rest of the lifetime of the person who has received the implants.

There are three ways a careful recipient can ensure that their implant or implants last as long as possible. These are:

• Choosing a reliable and competent dentist to do the implant surgery in the first place.
• Meticulous personal oral care and hygiene.
• Regular check-ups with the dentist including both clinical evaluation and radiographic examination to monitor the health of the implant.

Do Implants Last Longer Than Previous More Conventional Methods?

Here, the answer is an unequivocal “yes”. Partial and full dentures may last as long as 5 years before needing replacement. Conventional dentistry techniques where a tooth is supported by a bridge may last a little longer – up to 8 or 9 years. Having a dental implant may be a more expensive proposition for those people who want to have missing teeth replaced, but in the long run they are excellent value for money considering their expected longevity.

If you are looking for a dentist in the UK who will undertake dental implant treatment, then visit www.anyclinics.co.uk, where a suitable dentist who will meet your requirements can easily be located.