Dental Implants & Dentures in Songpa-gu: Average Lifespan and Care Tips

Hello, I’m Shin Seung-hwan, the director of Yonsei U-Line Dental Clinic, Garak Branch, located near Garak Market Station in Garak-dong, Songpa-gu.

The question I hear most often from people who have received implant or denture treatment is this:

“How long can I use this?”

Today, I’d like to answer that question based on average standards.

First, let’s talk about dental implants.

Dental implants first appeared in the late 1950s, and began to be widely used in earnest during the 1980s and 1990s.

Even when I was in university, the success rate for using implants for more than 10 years was said to be around 80%.

At that time, implant materials and manufacturing methods were not as sophisticated as they are today, so problems with the prosthesis or the root portion occurred relatively often.

However, the situation is very different now.

Since the 2000s, implant root surface treatment technology and prosthesis manufacturing methods have advanced significantly. As a result, today’s implants have a more than 90% likelihood of lasting over 10 years.

In fact, many implants last even longer.

So, which part of an implant is most likely to develop problems?

In the past, prostheses were more likely to break than the root portion.

Because people wanted tooth-colored restorations, they were often made of porcelain. However, unlike natural teeth, implants do not have a periodontal ligament that absorbs shock.

Therefore, no matter how precisely they were made, they often broke or developed cracks over time.

Recently, however, the use of prostheses made from a strong material called zirconia has greatly reduced these problems.

Even when a high-quality implant is used, problems can still occur if it is not properly maintained.

In particular, people who smoke or do not attend regular checkups because they think, “I’ve had implants, so I’m done with the dentist,” may develop inflammation around the implant root. In severe cases, periodontitis may develop, eventually requiring the implant to be removed and the procedure to be performed again.

For this reason, I strongly recommend visiting your dentist for a checkup at least once a year.

Next, let me briefly explain dentures.

Dentures generally last about 5–7 years on average.

Of course, there are individual differences. For people wearing dentures for the first time, the jawbone is rapidly resorbed during the first few years, so dentures often become loose after only 3–4 years.

That is why it is a good idea to replace dentures made initially after using them for about 4–5 years.

On the other hand, some people can use theirs for more than 7 years when they fit very well.

However, most people say after about 5–6 years, “They’ve become a little loose,” or “I’d like to have new ones made.”

These days, it is also common to place several implants and use them as anchoring points to keep dentures from moving as much.

In such cases, the dentures do not usually come out easily. However, they may need to be remade if the teeth attached to the dentures crack or break.

People also often ask this question:

“My dentures aren’t uncomfortable. Is it okay to keep using them?”

The teeth used in dentures are generally made of plastic so that they are not too heavy.

At first, their surfaces are textured and their height is well maintained. After several years of use, however, they gradually wear down, becoming smoother and lower.

As the height inside the mouth decreases, the lower jaw may move forward, and the lips may appear more recessed, potentially causing changes in appearance.

So, even if they look fine from the outside, if the denture teeth are significantly worn, it is a good idea to consider replacing them.

Restoring them to the height they had when they were first made is also an important part of treatment.

To summarize,

With proper care, dental implants can be used for more than 10 years, and with dentures, it is a good idea to consider replacement after approximately 5–6 years on average.

Most importantly, regular checkups and consistent care are essential.

That is the key to using them for a long time.