What age can you have a dental implant? Teenagers, young adults and older people: what determines the timing

Why are implants not placed in growing bone?

An implant is not placed while the facial bones are still growing because it fuses permanently with the bone and does not move like a natural tooth. Heij et al. (2006) compare an implant to a tooth fused to bone (an ankylosed tooth): as the jaw grows and neighbouring teeth continue to erupt, the implant is left behind.

The result is infraocclusion: the implant crown sits below the level of neighbouring teeth. Thilander et al. (1994), in a study of 15 teenagers, observed this in patients with residual craniofacial growth. The authors stressed that skeletal and dental maturity matter, rather than chronological age.

These changes do not affect only young people. Bernard et al. (2004) measured a step beside implants in the front of the upper jaw of 0.1 to 1.65 mm in people aged 15.5 to 21, but found a similar step, 0.12 to 1.86 mm, in adults aged 40 to 55.

At what age does facial bone growth usually finish?

Implants are usually placed in people aged 18 or over: Cleveland Clinic gives this as the typical minimum age and states that growth must have finished. Age is only a guide, however, because the pace of maturation differs between individuals and between sexes.

Fudalej et al. (2007), studying images from 301 people, found that facial bone growth continued after puberty, differed between girls and boys in the second decade of life and became clinically insignificant after that period. Heij et al. (2006) warn that in people with very short or very long faces, the risk of changes persists even beyond the age of 20.

A question about an implant at 16 therefore usually concerns a stage when facial growth is still continuing. For teenagers, implant placement is generally planned for later, with a temporary replacement in the meantime.

How does the dentist check whether bone growth has finished?

The end of growth is assessed using imaging, rather than age alone. Fudalej et al. (2007) developed tables to help determine when to take cephalometric radiographs (side-view skull X-rays) so that they can be compared to check whether facial growth has stopped.

The decision is usually shared by the orthodontist, surgeon and prosthodontist, because replacing a young person’s missing tooth with an implant requires preparation of the space, bone and gum. Kokich (2004) describes problems associated with congenitally missing lateral incisors, such as insufficient space, closely positioned neighbouring roots and overly thin bone. Implant planning itself requires CBCT imaging.

The same caution applies to adults with very short or long faces, whose teeth may still move after the age of 20 according to Heij et al. In these cases the dentist may monitor the bite for longer and discuss more fully the risk of a small step beside the implant crown in future.

Can a teenager ever have a dental implant?

An implant is placed in a teenager only in specific circumstances, after careful consideration of the risks. Bohner et al. (2019) reviewed 493 implants in 147 patients aged 3 to 18, most commonly with ectodermal dysplasia (congenital absence of many teeth) or following trauma. Implants were placed mainly in the front of the upper and lower jaws in children over 10.

The main complications were infraocclusion of implants in the upper jaw and rotation in the lower jaw. Patients required check-ups and adjustments to their restorations until growth finished. The authors concluded that implants in growing bones should be considered only in special circumstances.

Hwang and Wang (2007) list adolescence among the relative contraindications to implants. For most teenagers with a missing tooth, the appropriate approach is therefore to manage the gap and revisit the implant decision once growth has finished.

A missing tooth in a teenager: what can be done before an implant?

A teenager’s missing tooth is managed before implant placement in a way that maintains space and bone. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) guidelines from 2024 stress that when an orthodontist opens space for a future implant, it needs to be maintained with a temporary restoration.

For a congenitally missing lateral incisor, orthodontic space closure is also possible, moving the canine into the missing tooth’s position. According to the AAPD, patients generally prefer space closure to implants. For a missing premolar, the guidelines list retaining the baby tooth, a denture, space closure or transplanting one of the patient’s own teeth (autotransplantation).

• An adhesive bridge bonded to neighbouring teeth: a review of 29 studies reported survival of 91.4% after 5 years and 82.9% after 10 years (Thoma et al., 2017).
• A partial denture or an appliance carrying a replacement tooth, which the patient can remove.
• Retaining a baby tooth that has not fallen out if it is in good condition; the AAPD warns, however, that a sinking tooth fused to bone can increase bone loss before a future implant.
• Decoronation of a tooth fused to bone, removing the crown but leaving the root, which the AAPD says helps preserve bone until implant placement.
• A children’s denture: the NFZ, Poland’s National Health Fund, includes this in its orthodontic benefits up to age 18 (Ministry of Health regulation, t.j. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 615, legal status as of 12 October 2026).

Which options are used at different ages?

The choice for a missing tooth depends primarily on whether the bones and teeth are still growing. The table is a guide: the clinician decides after an examination, often with a whole team for younger patients, comprising an orthodontist, surgeon and prosthodontist.

Is there an upper age limit for dental implants?

There is no upper age limit for dental implants: Cleveland Clinic states this explicitly, and Srinivasan et al. (2017) concluded that age alone should not limit implant treatment. In that review, implant survival in people aged 65 or over was 96.2% after 5 years and 91.2% after 10 years.

Schimmel et al. (2018), reviewing patients aged at least 75, reported implant survival of 97.3% at one year and 96.1% at 5 years. Outcomes were worse after radiotherapy, and complication risk was high in people with bone metastases treated with high-dose antiresorptive medicines. With the low doses used for osteoporosis, implant survival was high.

Howe et al. (2019) recorded slightly lower 10-year implant survival in people aged 65 or over, at 91.5%, consistent with Srinivasan et al.’s 10-year result. These figures describe groups of patients rather than an individual, and are not a reason to rule out an implant in older age.

For older patients, the dentist therefore assesses general medical conditions, medicines and the ability to maintain daily hygiene and attend regular check-ups. A separate article explains how osteoporosis medicines affect dental procedures.

What happens at an implant consultation at DentalBlue?

At DentalBlue, implants are planned using CBCT images from the clinic’s own radiology unit, which also takes cephalometric and panoramic X-rays. Orthodontics, surgery with implantology and prosthodontics operate at the same address. For a young patient, a consultation can therefore include bite assessment and the images needed to assess growth; the dentist decides on implant timing after examination. In the clinic’s price list, “Konsultacja implantologiczna” (implant consultation) costs 300 zł and “Cefalometria” (cephalometric X-ray) 120 zł. The final scope and cost are agreed at the consultation, and prices may change.