Can you get dental implants over 60?
Yes. Age alone does not rule out dental implants; healthy bone can bond to an implant in your sixties, seventies and beyond. What matters is bone volume, gum health, conditions such as diabetes, medicines such as osteoporosis treatment or blood thinners, and whether you can clean around the new teeth. At Creative Arts in Dubai these are reviewed with a CBCT scan before any plan is made.
Who treats you here Dr. Firas Osman Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon & Implantologist · Dr. Khalid Saeed Co-founder & Dentist · Dr. Kinan Bonni Dentist
Every dentist’s licence can be checked on the DHA Sheryan medical directory.
Is there an age limit for dental implants?
There is a lower age limit, because implants should wait until the jaw has stopped growing, but there is no upper one. Bone keeps its ability to heal around an implant throughout adult life, and many people have their first implant after retirement. For someone who has struggled with a loose plate or with chewing on a few remaining teeth, fixed teeth on implants can make eating and speaking noticeably easier.
Age does change the questions, though. By 60, most people take at least one regular medicine, some have had gum disease or lost teeth years ago, and the bone at old gaps may have shrunk. None of these is automatically a barrier. They are the things your dentist needs to know about to plan safely, and they are covered below. The general factors that affect implant suitability at any age are explained in our guide to who can get dental implants.
The evidence supports this approach. A 2019 meta-analysis of long-term studies reported 10-year implant survival of about 96% overall, and lower survival in patients aged 65 and over. That is an average from studies rather than a prediction for you; it is one reason good planning and maintenance matter more as the years go on.
Which health conditions and medicines should you mention?
Bring a list of every medicine you take, including injections given once or twice a year. These are the items that most often change an implant plan.
| Condition or medicine | Why it matters for implants | What usually happens |
|---|---|---|
| Osteoporosis tablets, infusions or injections | Medicines that slow bone turnover carry a small risk of a jawbone healing problem after surgery | Assessed case by case, often with your prescribing doctor; never stop them yourself |
| Bone-strengthening treatment for cancer | The risk of jawbone healing problems is much higher at these doses | Implants are generally avoided and other options discussed |
| Blood thinners | More bleeding during and after surgery | Often continued; any change is decided with the doctor who prescribed them |
| Diabetes | Poor control slows healing and raises infection and gum-disease risk | Well-controlled diabetes is usually treated much like anyone else; poor control means improving it first |
| Heart or lung conditions | Affect which sedation is safe and how long sessions should be | Planned with a medical-history review, sometimes with a letter from your doctor |
| Medicines that cause a dry mouth | Less saliva means more plaque, decay and gum inflammation around teeth and implants | Extra preventive care and a cleaning routine planned from the start |
| Smoking or shisha | Reduced blood flow to the gums and more implant complications | Stopping is strongly advised, at least around surgery and healing |
| Radiotherapy to the head or neck | Irradiated bone heals poorly | Planned with your medical team; sometimes implants are not advised |
Our dentists may ask your own doctor for information before surgery. This is routine and is part of planning, not a sign that you cannot have treatment.
Osteoporosis treatment and implants: what is the real risk?
Osteoporosis is common after 60, and so are the medicines used for it: bisphosphonate tablets or yearly infusions, and denosumab injections every few months. These medicines are linked to a rare complication called medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, in which an area of jawbone does not heal after surgery.
The size of the risk depends on why the medicine is taken. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, in its 2022 position paper, describes the risk as considerably lower for people taking these medicines for osteoporosis than for people receiving them for cancer, and advises against implants in the cancer group. For osteoporosis, it supports implants with an informed discussion of the low risk and long-term follow-up.
In practice, this means you should tell your dentist the name of the medicine, the dose, how long you have taken it and why. Never stop or pause it on your own to have dental treatment; that is a decision for the doctor who prescribed it, and stopping can put your bones at risk.
What are the implant options after 60?
The right option depends on how many teeth are missing, the bone available and what you want to be able to clean. From the smallest to the largest:
| Option | Suits | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Single implant and crown | One missing tooth with healthy neighbours | Leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched |
| Implant bridge | Several missing teeth in a row | Two or more implants carry a bridge, so not every missing tooth needs its own implant |
| Full-arch fixed bridge (All-on-4 or more implants) | All teeth missing or failing in one jaw | A fixed bridge screwed to at least four implants; only the dentist removes it for maintenance |
| Conventional bridge on natural teeth | A gap with neighbours that already need crowns | No surgery, but relies on the health of the supporting teeth |
| Removable dentures, with or without implants | Some patients elsewhere | Not offered as a service at Creative Arts; our guide to types of dentures explains them neutrally |
Our full mouth implants page compares fixed full-arch options, and the types of dentures guide explains removable options.
Will you be able to clean your implants in ten years' time?
This is the question older patients are asked least often and should be asked most. Implants do not decay, but the gum and bone around them can become inflamed if plaque is left behind, a condition called peri-implantitis that can lead to bone loss. Cleaning around implants needs reasonable hand movement and eyesight, and those can change with arthritis, a stroke or simply time.
So a good plan looks ahead. Bridges are designed with gaps an interdental brush can pass through; a full-arch bridge is shaped so its underside can be reached with a water flosser; and the professional maintenance visits are agreed before treatment, not after. If a family member or carer helps with daily care, it is worth bringing them to a visit so they can be shown how to clean the new teeth. Our guide to dental care for seniors covers dry mouth, root decay and cleaning aids in more detail.
Wondering whether implants could work for you after 60? Our surgeon and implant dentists in Dubai review your health, medicines and CBCT scan before writing an itemised plan with alternatives.
Explore dental implantsHow can implant surgery be made easier for older patients?
Implant surgery is carried out under local anaesthetic, and discomfort afterwards is usually managed with over-the-counter pain relief for a few days. Several things can make the experience easier at any age, and especially when health is more complex:
- Shorter, staged sessions rather than one long appointment, where the plan allows.
- Sedation for anxious patients or longer surgery, chosen after a medical-history review and given and monitored by an appropriately qualified, licensed clinician. See implants under sedation.
- Guided surgery planned on a CBCT scan, with a surgical guide printed in our laboratory where the case calls for it, which can help keep the procedure precise.
- An adult escort after sedation, and a clear written plan for medicines on the day.
- Time for healing. Bone typically bonds to an implant over about three to six months, longer after grafting. Your surgeon allows for slower healing where health suggests it.
Implants or dentures after 60?
Many people in their sixties and seventies already wear a partial or full denture and ask whether implants would be better. Fixed implant teeth do not move when you eat or speak, do not cover the palate and help keep the bone they sit in loaded. On the other hand, they involve surgery, months of healing and regular maintenance, and they are not right for everyone's health or budget.
Our guide to implants vs dentures compares the two in detail. If a full arch is being considered, the All-on-4 cost page explains what a full-arch plan includes, so you can compare it fairly with other routes.