Are Dental Implants Permanent?

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Dental implants outlast a bridge or a partial denture. But how long can you expect your implants to last? Are dental implants permanent? We will explain whether implants are permanent, which parts you must replace, and how you can preserve your implants.

Are Dental Implants Permanent?

Engineers designed dental implants to be a permanent form of tooth replacement—lasting a lifetime. The article, What Is the Success Rate of Dental Implants?, published by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, confirms that dental implants can last many decades if you take care of them. However, the permanency of dental implants refers to the screw or artificial tooth root. The prosthesis, or artificial teeth, attached to implants will require replacing over the years.

What Are the Parts of a Dental Implant?

Dental implant components, including root form, abutment, and crown

Dental implants imitate natural teeth

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots. Your implant dentist will attach a connector (abutment) to each implant fixture. And after three to four months of healing, your dentist will attach artificial teeth to the abutments. Meanwhile, you can wear temporary replacement teeth.

Types of artificial teeth, also called prostheses or restorations, include:

  • Crowns
  • Bridges
  • Dentures

What Is the Lifespan of a Dental Implant Restoration?

Dental implant crowns, bridges, and dentures can last longer than restorations not attached to implants. Estimates for their lifespan are below:

  • Implant crown – An implant crown can last up to fifteen years if you take care of it. Gold crowns are sturdy and last longer than ceramic crowns.
  • Implant bridge – An implant bridge can last up to twenty years before you need to replace it.
  • Implant denture – A well-made implant denture can last ten years or longer.

What Can You Do to Help Your Dental Implants Last?

Your dental implants can be permanent if you take precautions. Your choice of an implant dentist and diligent home care make a difference.

Below are five tips, including several recommendations from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry for protecting your implants:

  1. Choose an implant dentist or surgeon who uses 3-D x-rays for planning implant placement
  2. Avoid tobacco use because it hinders healing
  3. Avoid alcohol
  4. Practice good oral hygiene
  5. Maintain good overall health

Summary

The artificial root of a dental implant can last a lifetime. But you will need to replace the dental crown, bridge, or denture attached to the implants over the years. Select your implant surgeon wisely. And take good care of your implants to help them be a permanent form of tooth replacement.

 

Dr. Steven Brookser, a Fellow of implant dentistry in Baton Rouge, sponsors this post.

Three Reasons Your Dentist Recommends a Post and Core Even If Insurance Doesn’t Cover It

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I have a left incisor that is severely decayed. My dentist recommends a crown instead of a filling, but he wants to add a post and core. The dentist’s office submitted it to my insurance in early March. My insurance will give some benefits for the crown but not the post and core, which costs $420. So now, I’ll be paying for the remaining cost of the crown and the post and core. I’ll have to charge the balance on my credit card, which I am not fond of doing. Are the post and core necessary? Thanks – Russell

Russel –

Although your dentist is interested in your long-term oral health, your dental insurance company’s goal is to economize and save money. Your dentist might have explained the purpose of a post and core, but we’ll review it to help you understand your dentist’s perspective.

Why Are a Post and Core Needed?

Post and crown (top photo) and dental bonding built up around the post (lower photo)

A post and core give a strengthen your tooth and help anchor a dental crown

A dentist might place a post and core after root canal treatment. If there isn’t a lot of healthy tooth structure left, your dentist can’t properly prepare the tooth, and the crown can come off easily. The following steps are involved:

  1. Perform root canal treatment and remove decay and tooth pulp
  2. Insert a post into the canal of the tooth
  3. Bond the post in place
  4. Use dental bonding and shape it around the post to mimic the shape of a natural tooth prepared for a crown
  5. Bond the crown to the built-up post

The post and core are essential for reinforcing the tooth and creating a firm bond for a dental crown that lasts.

What Might Happen without the Post and Core?

  1. If a dentist bonds a crown to your severely decayed tooth, the tooth can further weaken and break. If the break is severe—or if the tooth gets infected—you might lose the tooth.
  2. And your dentist will need to replace it with a dental implant and crown—which is more costly than a post and core. A single implant costs over $1500. And there are additional fees associated with implant placement, including surgery, sedation, the implant crown, and more.
  3. Your dentist is protecting your oral health and limiting your long-term out-of-pocket expenses by recommending the post and core. Listen to your dentist—not the dental insurance company.

This post is sponsored by Steven Brooksher, DDS, a Baton Rouge dentist and a fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.