How Long Do Full Mouth Dental Implants Last?
Patients who are missing a significant number of teeth or need to have them extracted. Have a great replacement option with full mouth dental implants. Implants are a permanent solution and, with good oral care and regular visits to the dentist, can last longer than any other tooth replacement treatment.
Dental implant placement does require minor surgery, so it is important for the patient to be otherwise healthy and able to endure the surgery and extensive healing time. Dental implants act as an artificial tooth root and help stimulate bone regeneration, providing a stable and secure dental restoration.
How long do full mouth dental implants last?
With proper care and maintenance, dental implants can easily last a lifetime. Patients may need to have the implant restoration replaced, just due to normal wear and tear, but the implants themselves fuse with the jawbone and do not often need to be replaced.
The roots of our teeth help stimulate the production of osteoblast cells that make up the jawbone every time we speak and chew. When a tooth is missing, that area of the jaw no longer produces the necessary cells to continually build and strengthen, eventually leading to bone deterioration. This deterioration is what causes changes in facial structure and poorly fitting dentures in patients who rely on a traditional denture, as they sit on the gums and do not provide any bone stimulation.
What causes full mouth dental implants to fail?
Patients who have pre-existing medical conditions that affect their bones, such as osteoporosis or diabetes, may be at higher risk for implant failure. This does not necessarily mean that these patients cannot have dental implants, simply that they may need to take extra care to keep them healthy.
Additionally, patients who have lost teeth due to poor oral hygiene or periodontal disease will have a hard time sustaining their implants unless they improve their oral care. It is vital to the success of your implants to see your dentist more frequently than the standard "twice a year". During your cleaning, your dentist will remove the denture so that your hygienist can clean around each implant before the denture is put back on.
Patients who have lost teeth, even if it was not due to poor oral hygiene, need to care for their mouth better than ever to make sure that their implants remain healthy and free of infection. If an implant develops an infection, it does not take long for the implant to become hopeless and need to be replaced.
Your dentist may suggest a night guard to wear when you sleep to protect your investment from bruxism, which is the unconscious clenching and grinding we often do in our sleep.
If you are missing a significant number of teeth, speak with your dentist to see if full mouth dental implants are a good option for you.