Crown and Bridge Cases That Have Survived for Over 20 Years!

Hello, this is Kim Taeyoon, representative director of Shinsung Dental Clinic.

The new year has already arrived.

I hope you have a very happy New Year!

This year marks the 38th year since our dental clinic first opened.

38 years... it really is a long time.

So today, I’d like to show you a few cases of patients who have visited us over a long period of time.

Thankfully, our clinic has many patients who have been coming to us for more than 20 or 30 years.

This patient has been visiting us since 2000. They are currently 87 years old, so back then they were in their early 60s.

The panoramic photo above was taken in 2006.

At that time, our clinic was still using paper charts, so some older records were lost while we were switching to electronic charts.

According to the remaining records, in 2003 the lower left molars received root canal treatment and crown treatment (blue arrow),

and in 2005 the lower front teeth received root canal treatment and bridge treatment.

(green arrow)

Judging from the fact that there are no records for the other prosthetic treatments, it seems those were done before they came to us.

This is the same panoramic photo of the same patient taken in 2024.

A lot of implants have been added in the meantime..

Still, even at the advanced age of 87, they have a very stable bite, and they are currently able to eat with no discomfort at all.

What is especially noteworthy is that the molars and front teeth that received prosthetic treatment in 2003 and 2005 are still there.

Even after more than 20 years..

The second case.

This female patient has been visiting us since 2001.

She is currently in her late 60s, so when she first came to us, she was in her mid-40s.

In 2003, the two upper right molars (red arrow),

and in 2008, the upper right small front tooth (yellow arrow)

received root canal treatment and prosthetic treatment,

and the panoramic photo above was taken in 2008.

(Other prosthetic treatments for the remaining teeth were done before she visited our clinic.)

What kind of dentition does she have now, 17 years later?

She still has a complete set of teeth and eats comfortably.

The additional implants were all teeth treated at our clinic.

And

we can confirm that the crowns treated at our clinic have remained intact for 20 years.

According to a study by the Korean Academy of Prosthodontics, the average lifespan of crowns and bridges was found to be 11.4 years.

Such statistical studies are often conducted using samples from university hospitals,

so the average lifespan of prosthetics that dentists feel in actual local practice seems to be shorter than 11 years.

Treatment results that survive for a long time, exceeding the average, are the goal our clinic strives for,

and whenever we achieve such results, we feel a great sense of pride. ^^

Thank you for reading, and once again, Happy New Year ~!