One of the great benefits of dental implants is that they can last a lifetime if they’re properly cared for. What does this mean? This is not the “lifetime warranty” that actually only lasts a few years. It literally means that you might have implants for the rest of your life. And with the advanced materials we use, your bridges can last for decades, too.
Want to talk to a dentist about how long your implants might last? Contact a local CeraSmile dentist today for a consultation.
Studies on Dental Implant Longevity
We don’t have to guess about how well dental implants last over the long-term. We can look at the studies and see what they show about the longevity of dental implants. Here is a summary of some studies of the long-term survival of dental implants:
| Survival Rate | Study Length | Number of Implants | Authors | Date |
| 91% | 20 Years | 69 | Lekholm U, Gröndahl K, Jemt T | 2006 |
| 99% | 20 Years | 123 | Astrand P, et al. | 2008 |
| 89.5% | 20 Years | 95 | Chappuis V, et al | 2013 |
| 93.3% | 20 Years | 12,737 | Krebs M, et al. | 2015 |
| 88% | Up to 23.5 Years | 388 | Becker ST, et al | 2015 |
| 91.8% | 20+ years | 1045 | Chrcanovic BR, et al | 2018 |
| 97.8% | 30 years | 24,781 | Jemt T | 2018 |
The evidence is clear: about 90% of dental implants last over 20 years. Studies also show that about half of failures occur in the first year. These implants just don’t integrate. So when you factor that in, you see that if your implants do successfully integrate with your bone, the survival rate approaches 95% over 20 years or more. There is no evidence to suggest that dental implants have a definite lifetime–an age at which they start to fail. If implants are properly cared for, we have no reason to believe they won’t last forever.
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Anecdotal Evidence
One problem with making large studies looking at the long-term survival of dental implants is that people only live so long. When studies are 20 years long or more, patients who were in their 60s and 70s when the study began will be in their 80s, 90s, and beyond at the time of follow-up. Many of these patients pass on with their implants in place.
We do know that some isolated cases show very long lifetimes for implants. The first person to get dental implants had them for more than 40 years before his death. The second person to get them has had them for more than 50 years without problems.
What about the Bridge?
These studies mostly focus on the dental implants themselves, not on the crowns or bridges that top the implants. Studies that look at these parts are rare. However, when they do, the studies show very good survival rates, though you should expect to repair or adjust your restorations about once every ten years, and you might need to replace the bridge over the lifetime of your implants.
Are You Ready for Your New, Permanent Teeth?
If you are considering the wonderfully long-lasting dental implants, please contact a local CeraSmile dentist today for an appointment.
