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How long does a dental implant last?

Survival rate, success rate and what makes the difference: why implants are lost, what increases longevity and why the restoration on top is renewed sooner than the implant itself.

A dental implant usually lasts many years, often decades. Review articles report survival rates of around 95 per cent over a ten-year period; after fifteen years, most implants are still in the jaw. What decides the individual case is not the implant itself but what happens around it: oral hygiene, regular check-ups, the gums and the bone.

What “lasts” actually means

Studies usually count how many implants are still firmly anchored in the bone after a given period. That is the survival rate. The success rate is something different: it also requires the surrounding tissue to be healthy, the bone not to have receded appreciably and the restoration to do its job. The success rate is therefore always somewhat lower than the survival rate – an implant can sit firmly and still cause trouble.

Anyone reading a figure should therefore look at three things: the period over which it was counted, whether survival or success is meant, and which patients it was measured on. A jaw with no prior disease and a jaw after years of periodontitis are not the same starting point.

Integration decides as well

An implant only lasts if the bone forms a firm bond with its surface in the first weeks. Depending on the site and the quality of the bone, this integration takes some weeks to months. What happens during that time has effects for years: a wound that becomes infected, or loading applied too soon, often costs the implant within the first year. Part of the later longevity is therefore decided before the first crown.

Does age matter?

Not for longevity. What counts is the bone, the gums and general health, not the year of birth; implants integrate in advanced age too. Conversely, in very young people it is better to wait until jaw growth is complete, because an implant does not grow with the jaw and would eventually no longer be level with the neighbouring teeth.

Why implants are lost

The first weeks and the later years carry different risks. An implant is lost early if it does not fuse with the bone – because the wound becomes infected, for instance, or because the implant was loaded too soon. It is lost late if the surrounding tissue becomes diseased and the bone recedes.

  • inflammation of the tissue around the implant (peri-implantitis)
  • smoking, because it impairs blood flow and healing
  • poorly controlled diabetes
  • untreated periodontitis on the natural teeth
  • overloading, for example from grinding at night without a splint
  • missed check-ups – bone loss does not hurt for a long time

Peri-implantitis is the most common cause

The same thing can happen at an implant as at a natural tooth: bacteria collect where the implant meets the gum, the tissue becomes inflamed, and if the inflammation reaches deeper, bone is lost. Because an implant has no periodontal ligament of its own, this loss is often faster than at a natural tooth. Caught early, inflammation can be treated; caught late, the implant can no longer be saved.

What increases longevity

The points that can be influenced are few – and they work over years. Keeping to them shifts the odds clearly in your favour.

  • daily cleaning of the spaces between the teeth as well, with brushes or floss
  • regular check-ups including measurement of pocket depths at the implant
  • professional tooth cleaning at the interval the practice sets
  • stopping smoking, or at least cutting down markedly
  • having your own teeth and gums treated before the procedure
  • a splint if you grind your teeth at night

Does the restoration last as long as the implant?

No, and that is normal. The implant in the bone is the lasting part. The crown, bridge or denture on top are wearing parts: ceramic can chip, acrylic discolours, the retaining elements of a denture wear down, screws can work loose. Such parts can be renewed without touching the implant – an important difference from a bridge, where the prepared neighbouring teeth are affected as well.

Does the material matter?

Titanium has been in use for decades and is the best documented clinically. Ceramic implants made of zirconium dioxide are metal-free and are an option above all where that is wanted; the long-term data are thinner than for titanium. For longevity in everyday use, position, length, surface and care count for more than the choice between two established materials.

Is there a guarantee?

Nobody can guarantee the outcome of treatment, because the course depends on circumstances outside the practice – from oral hygiene to general illness. Many manufacturers do give an assurance on the implant as a product, and some practices agree arrangements covering early loss. Exactly what is promised belongs in writing before treatment begins.

What happens if an implant is lost?

In many cases a new implant can be placed once the site has healed, sometimes only after bone grafting. The decisive step is to know the cause: closing the same gap again without looking at the inflammation, the grinding or the diabetes risks the same course.

Finding an experienced practice

The position of the implant, the planning and the follow-up care decide more about longevity than any product feature. The directory on this portal lists practices with a focus on implantology – by location and by qualification, without ranking and without rating.

Answered briefly

Frequently asked questions

As a rule many years, often decades. Review articles report ten-year survival rates of around 95 per cent, and after fifteen years most implants are still in the jaw. How long it lasts in an individual case is decided less by the implant than by the surrounding tissue: oral hygiene, regular check-ups, healthy gums and sufficient bone.
That depends on what is counted. The survival rate only says that the implant is still firmly anchored in the bone, and over ten years it is around 95 per cent. The success rate additionally requires healthy tissue, no appreciable bone loss and a working restoration; it is therefore always somewhat lower. Two figures are only comparable if they use the same period and the same definition.
Placing implants is a procedure that has been practised for decades, and titanium as a material is well documented clinically. There are still risks: inflammation, failure to integrate, and in rare cases injury to nerves or the maxillary sinus. Which risks apply in an individual case is shown by the examination beforehand, with an X-ray and a clinical assessment.
Above all inflammation of the tissue around the implant, known as peri-implantitis. It is encouraged by inadequate cleaning, smoking, poorly controlled diabetes and untreated periodontitis on the natural teeth. Overloading plays a part too, for example grinding at night without a protective splint. Missed check-ups are particularly risky, because bone loss causes no pain for a long time.
That should be expected. The implant in the bone is the lasting part; the crown, bridge or denture on top are wearing parts: ceramic can chip, retaining elements wear down, screws can work loose. Such parts can be renewed without touching the implant itself.