The quick answer
The implants, the titanium anchors in your jaw, are meant to be permanent, and once they've fused with the bone they often last for decades. The teeth attached to them get used every day, so over the years they may need repair or replacement. Like anything you use daily, they need some care, and we'll look after them with you.
In this answer
Two parts, two answers
When people ask how long this lasts, they're really asking about two things.
The implants are titanium posts in your jawbone. Bone grows onto them, and once it has, they aren't meant to come out. This is the permanent part.
The teeth are the arch attached to the implants. You use them every meal, every day, for years. Like anything used that much, they have a working life.
We often see people with implants placed elsewhere fifteen or more years ago that are still doing their job. The teeth on top may not be the originals.
Why you hear "lasts forever"
Other implants, like a breast implant or a cochlear implant, come with a clear explanation of how long they last and what can happen. Dental implants are often sold as "no problems, lasts forever." Then when normal wear shows up years later, people feel misled.
We'd rather tell you upfront. This is a very durable treatment. Like anything you rely on, it needs looking after.
What the long-term studies found
Implants still in place
Lower-jaw teeth, 10 to 18 years
Most implants stayed, and nearly all the teeth on top stayed in use. About a third had a mechanical problem along the way. That is this page’s two-part answer in numbers: very durable, and it needs looking after.
Two studies that looked back at records from one group of clinics: 471 people (lower jaw) and 1,072 people (upper jaw). The clinics lost touch with 31.6% and 20.4% of them, so the figures are estimates made with a standard method (life tables). The summary does not say whether 36.7% counts people or sets of teeth. It names teeth made of metal with acrylic, or metal with ceramic. It says nothing about solid zirconia.
- Maló P, de Araújo Nobre M, Lopes A, Ferro A, Botto J. The All-on-4 treatment concept for the rehabilitation of the completely edentulous mandible: A longitudinal study with 10 to 18 years of follow-up. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2019;21(4):565-577. doi:10.1111/cid.12769. PMID 30924309.
- Maló P, de Araújo Nobre M, Lopes A, Ferro A, Nunes M. The All-on-4 concept for full-arch rehabilitation of the edentulous maxillae: A longitudinal study with 5-13 years of follow-up. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2019;21(4):538-549. doi:10.1111/cid.12771. PMID 30924250.
What helps yours last
Roughly in order of importance:
The implants fusing with the bone. That happens in the first few weeks, which is why you eat soft food early on. Food isn't the risk. Pressure on an implant that hasn't fused yet is.
Cleaning. Gum inflammation around an implant (peri-implantitis) can cause bone loss, and bone loss is what loses implants. Daily cleaning prevents most of it, and we have a page that shows you how.
Not smoking. It has its own page.
Good planning. Where the implants go, how the biting force is spread, and whether the bite is right. These are decided at the start.
Your yearly visit. Problems around implants often don't hurt until they're advanced, so we check once a year instead of waiting for symptoms.
I chose the Zirconia top and bottom full arches and am extremely pleased with the result one year out.
Problems can usually be fixed
When this treatment was newer, it was sold as a last resort. If it failed, people assumed there was nothing left to try.
Twelve or thirteen years of doing this has shown us otherwise. When bone has been preserved, implants were placed well, and the teeth were built to be serviced, a lot can be fixed. An implant can be replaced, a site can heal and be reused, an arch can be remade.
How a case is built decides how easy it is to fix later, and we build ours with that in mind.
Questions to ask any practice
- What's your warranty, in writing, and what doesn't it cover?
- If my teeth need replacing in ten years, what will that cost?
- If an implant fails in year three, who pays to replace it?
- What does the yearly visit include, and what does it cost?
These answers tell you more about how long your treatment will really last than any percentage.
Quick answers
So the implants are permanent but the teeth aren't?
That's a good way to think about it. The implants fuse with your bone and aren't meant to come out. The teeth can wear or chip, and your bite and face change over time, so they're built to be repaired or replaced without disturbing the implants.
What makes an implant fail?
Most often it's an implant not fusing with the bone in the first few weeks, or later, bone loss around it from gum inflammation (peri-implantitis). Good cleaning and not smoking matter most. Too much force too early matters too, which is why you eat soft food at first.
Will I need a new set of teeth at some point?
Possibly, over enough years. That's normal upkeep, like new tires on a good car. What matters is knowing ahead of time who pays for it, and our warranty page covers that.
If one implant fails, do I lose everything?
No. Each arch sits on several implants, and losing one usually means replacing that one, not starting over. That's a big part of why we plan the number and position of implants so carefully.
Hear it on the podcast
Read next
What should a full-arch implant warranty actually cover?
A good warranty covers the things that really go wrong, like chips, breaks, a failed implant and the grafting to replace it, relines, adjustments and X-rays. Our Lifetime Warranty covers all of that, for as long as your membership is active, and it tells you plainly what you need to do to keep it. It's $700 a year for a full mouth ($59 a month), and it includes your annual visit. It renews each year, and we ask two things to keep it running. Keep your annual visit, and hygiene the practice judges adequate.
Answered by Dr. Daniel R. Noorthoek
Read the full answerWhat happens if something goes wrong?
We fix it, and we don't waste time on whose fault it was. Every practice that does surgery has complications sometimes. What matters is whether you were told about them beforehand, and how you're looked after when one happens.
Answered by Dr. Daniel R. Noorthoek
Read the full answerWhy does Done In One remove your full-arch teeth once a year?
Once a year we take your teeth off, clean the side that sits against your gums, check the implants up close and put everything back. Not every practice does this. We do it because that side can't be fully cleaned at home, X-rays alone don't show enough, and problems around implants can grow faster than problems around natural teeth.
Answered by Dr. Blake Hauer
Read the full answer