How long do dental prostheses last?

Figures from studies: crowns and bridges are at around 90 per cent after ten years, and still at about two thirds after twenty. Dentures are relined every five to ten years and with good care also last a long time.

What really tips the scales

Almost never the material. Rather: decay at the crown margin, periodontitis at the abutments, grinding. All three can be influenced – and all three decide whether a piece of work lasts eight or eighteen years.

What you can do

Clean the margins daily, have check-ups twice a year, wear a splint if you grind. That sounds unspectacular and is the biggest lever there is.

Warranty

A two-year warranty from the practice applies to dental prostheses: if something breaks during that time without your doing, it is repaired or renewed free of charge.