Hi, I’m Dr Fong, the principal dentist here at Dental House Group. Last Tuesday, we had one of our long term patients, Lisa from Gisborne, came in and receive a dental implant. During her comprehensive examination, she asked me, Hey Fong, how long will a dental implant last?

This is a very common question among our implant patients, and an important one. So I thought I should create a quick video for anyone who is considering dental implants, to help them understand how long a dental implant will last and what you can do to get the most of your investment.

Dental implants have the potential to fail for anyone, but the chance is low. Implants are made to last and are secured right into your jawbone to promote osseointegration, or the ability of your bone to integrate the implant as if it were your own. Dental implants are meant to last, and often, last a lifetime, but this is dependent on a few factors including your oral hygiene and care.

It is important to understand that each implant has a prosthesis like a crown or bridge attached to it. In some cases, with normal wear and tear, these may need to be replaced or upgraded after about 10 to 15 years. Proper oral hygiene will allow these to last as long as possible and some patients even keep them longer than 20 years.

You can help your implants last by brushing your teeth at least twice daily and floss at least once a day. I know it seems like brushing will not affect your implant, but keeping your teeth around the implant clean is very important to keep your gums healthy. And healthy gums are the best way to keep the surrounding area of your implant healthy, so it will hold your implant for a lifetime.

For smokers, smoking may cause implant failure because it interferes with blood flow to the bone around the implant. Plus it’s another risk factor of gum disease. If you grind your teeth or experience some sort of occlusal trauma, it can possibly cause the implant to fracture, loosening the attachment screw, or even fracture the crown of your implant. Often we will recommend a protecting splint to reduce the risk of this happening.

Other factors can potentially cause failure due to your medical conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, weak immune system, bleeding disorders etc. So it’s very important to keep us up to date with your medical health.

And lastly, I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping up with regular checkups and professional cleanings. We can see small problems before they turn into big problems and cleanings can remove debris and tartar that normal brushing cannot.

I hope this video gave you a better insight of how long dental implants last. As you can see, a dental implant is a long term investment, and it can serve you for a lifetime when being taken care of properly.

So if you have a missing tooth or a few missing teeth, and want to replace them with dental implants, we would love to look after you. We have patients from all over Melbourne and Victoria. Our team is trained to be extra gentle. Simply give us a call on 1800GENTLE, DM us in social media, or complete the form on our website, and we will help you organise a consultation. Bye for now.

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