Without a doubt, your actions impact how long your dental implants last. Lifestyle factors like diet, hygiene, and oral habits can help them work for more or less time. That said, you probably didn’t know your dental implant’s materials also affect its lifespan. The post’s parts (and their makeup) can determine whether or not your treatment results fail. If you’d like to learn more, just read over this primer from your Roselle Park dentists.
Overall, Dental Implants Can Last Decades
To grasp how an implant’s materials affect its longevity, you must first know the basics about dental implants’ lifespans. You won’t be able to judge things accurately otherwise.
On average, a dental implant lasts roughly 15 to 20 years. That lifespan already exceeds those of dentures or dental bridges (i.e., 5-7 years) by a large amount. Still, the posts can last even longer with proper care; a well-maintained one could work for 30 years or even more!
Various factors will impact how long your own implant posts last. In particular, the most common of these are oral hygiene, diet, a dentist’s skills, and so on.
How an Implant’s Materials Affect Its Lifespan
While not often discussed, the truth is that an implant’s materials also affect its lifespan. The quality of the posts’ parts will shape how long the treatment works.
The typical dental implant has three crucial components:
- Implant Fixture/Post – A dental implant’s post is usually titanium, but other materials can be used as needed. This fixture could also be made from longer-lasting zirconia.
- Implant Abutment – Like its post, an implant’s abutment is often titanium. However, this piece can have wear-resistant zirconia instead.
- Prosthetic/Crown – Since it must match the color, shape, and size of surrounding teeth, an implant’s prosthetic can use porcelain or less sturdy acrylic.
To learn which implant materials suit you, consult your dental provider about potential choices.
Ways to Make Dental Implants Last
Whatever your implant’s materials, you can still work to make your treatment results last longer. All you need to do is the following:
- Keep Your Smile Clean – To avoid gum disease that causes implant failure, brush your teeth twice daily and floss between them once daily.
- Avoid Bad Oral Habits – Since smoking and biting hard objects can make dental implants fail, quit or give up these habits as soon as possible.
- Get Dental Checkups – When you attend dental checkups every six months, you let your dentist treat issues that may threaten your implant posts.
A dental implant’s materials affect its lifespan, but so do your choices. Don’t forget that as you maintain your replacement tooth (or teeth)!
About the Practice
Roselle Park Dental & Implants is based in Roselle Park, NJ. Led by several amazing dentists, our practice prides itself on offering truly comprehensive dentistry. Patients can trust us for preventive, cosmetic, and even restorative treatments, as well as emergency dental care. That means our team is ready and able to help whole families sport thriving smiles! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (908)-245-1745.