In Reality, How Long do Dental Implants Last?
Dental implants provide the best restorative dental care if you need replacements for missing or damaged teeth. Implants help you achieve a natural-looking smile, improve comfort, and instill confidence in you. If you miss or have damaged teeth that you intend correcting dental implants are an excellent solution. However, when considering them, you might wonder whether they are permanent. You might also contemplate how long dental implants last in reality.
Dental implants are intended to remain a permanent tooth replacement solution lasting between 20 and 30 years. However, the lifespan of dental implants depends on how well you care for your teeth and your dental hygiene practices.
Dental implants comprise a titanium tooth root embedded deep into your jawbone to substitute the root section of your natural tooth. A porcelain crown placed atop the implant replaces your lost or extracted tooth. To ensure the functionality and longevity of the dental implant, they need appropriate care like your natural teeth, which includes cleaning by brushing, flossing, and frequent visits to your dentist for checkups and cleanings.
What Affects the Lifespan of Dental Implants?
As mentioned earlier, the lifespan of dental implants is lengthy and lasts between two to three decades when properly cared for. However, similar to any dental treatment, different factors determine how long dental implants last. The factors include oral health, lifestyle choices, medical conditions, injury or damage, which teeth are replaced, and their location.
One or more elements can determine how long dental implants last and impact your overall dental health. Therefore, discussing all options available with the dentist in Chicago, IL, is always better, providing them with information about your existing medical conditions before planning the treatment. The dentist will assess your health history before confirming whether dental implants suit you.
Oral Health
After you receive dental implants, you must continue to look after them like your natural teeth. To enable the titanium root to successfully integrate with your jawbone, you must ensure your gums are healthy, and the density of your jawbone is adequate. If you are affected by gum disease, the condition needs treatment before getting dental implants placed. The dentist also ensures you have sufficient jawbone to hold the dental implant securely.
The titanium implant and the ceramic crown remain resistant to decay, but the teeth and surrounding gums are natural, making it essential for you to maintain excellent dental hygiene. Unfortunately, you remain susceptible to conditions like gum disease even after getting dental implants placed. The infection is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults and can also impact your overall health.
In most cases, the titanium implant remains with you for life, but the dental crown might need replacements.
Lifestyle Choices
Your lifestyle choices like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can also impact the longevity of your dental implants. These choices are critical during the initial stages of your treatment. Nicotine affects the blood vessels, oxygen levels, and blood flow to slow your recovery. Smoking also results in the risk of producing bacterial plaque that converts into gum disease unless treated promptly.
After having dental implants in Chicago, the dentist recommends you wait for at least 72 hours before having alcoholic drinks. The prohibition ensures your body receives the time to start your recovery. Alcohol thins the blood to prevent blood clotting after surgery to help your gums heal. Excessive alcohol also causes dehydration to dry your mouth and hinders recovery.
Besides, the above dental implants can fail due to circumstances beyond your control. While the titanium implant is a permanent replacement option, the ceramic crowns are not invincible. Crowns are susceptible to cracking and chipping and need replacements earlier than expected.
If you have pre-existing medical conditions, they can also affect the longevity of the implants. For example, a weakened immune system or uncontrolled diabetes makes you vulnerable to infections leading to implant failure. Which teeth you had replaced also affects the implant’s longevity because while your incisors help cut food, the back teeth help chew foods and sustain additional pressure. Therefore the crowns on the back teeth are more likely to need replacements than the anterior teeth.
Maintenance
How well you maintain your natural and implanted teeth also impact dental implants’ longevity. Therefore you must possess excellent dental hygiene by brushing twice daily, flossing once, using an antibacterial mouthwash, and getting six monthly exams and cleanings from the Chicago dentist without exceptions.
Dental impressions provide dental implants to patients explaining the lifespan of the restorations and requesting them to care for the implanted teeth like their own. If you intend to get these restorations for missing or damaged teeth, kindly schedule an appointment with best practice for the repairs required.