Implants get sold as a permanent fix. That's not accurate, and it's worth being straightforward about it.

Research is increasingly clear that the average dental implant lasts 15 to 20 years. Implants in their current form have only existed for about 25 to 30 years, and they've only been widely used for the last 20 to 25. The data on long-term durability is still relatively new, and what it's showing is that nothing implanted into the body lasts forever.

Knee replacements typically need revision every 10 to 15 years. Hip replacements, similar. Pacemaker batteries get replaced roughly every 5 years. Breast implants, around every 10 years. Tommy John surgery on a pitcher's elbow lasts about 7 years before it can fail. Anything placed into the body wears, and a dental implant sits in one of the most bacteria-dense environments the body has. Expecting a screw in that environment to last indefinitely with zero maintenance was never realistic.

None of this means implants are a bad option. They're a genuinely excellent solution for a missing tooth, and with good planning and good maintenance, they can last a very long time. But "permanent" was the wrong word to use, and a lot of the dental field, us included, used it for years because that's what we believed at the time. The honest version is closer to this: an implant requires the same ongoing care as anything else built to last. Treated that way, it holds up well. Treated as a one-and-done fix, it won't.