Who Can Get Dental Implants? Health, Bone and Age
Losing a tooth raises a practical question fast: are implants even an option for me? Most people arrive at it with one specific worry — being too old, living with a long-term illness, or having been told there isn't much bone left to work with. This article looks at age, health and bone, and at who can actually answer the question for you.
It doesn't cover what an implant is or how one is placed; a separate article covers what a dental implant is.
Is there an age limit?
The minimum age is typically 18, and there's no upper limit (Cleveland Clinic). Your health is more of a factor than your age (American Dental Association (MouthHealthy)).
Health and habits
Implants may not be the best option if you have active or untreated gum disease, bone disorders and some autoimmune diseases, extensive tooth decay, poor oral hygiene, severe bone loss in your jaw, or unmanaged diabetes. Implants may also not be a good idea if you smoke or vape, as this can disrupt the healing process. Still, every person's case is unique (Cleveland Clinic).
Chronic illnesses, such as diabetes or leukemia, may interfere with healing after surgery, and using tobacco can also slow healing (American Dental Association (MouthHealthy)).
Enough bone in the jaw
The main requirement is that you have enough healthy bone in your jaw for the implant to take hold (Cleveland Clinic).
With all types of dental implant, it's important that there's enough jawbone to support the implant, and if there isn't, your provider may need to place dental bone grafts to build up places where there's bone loss (Cleveland Clinic).
A separate article covers the other ways to replace a missing tooth.
Only a dentist can answer it for you
None of the above tells you where you stand. A dentist is the only person who can tell you whether you're a candidate (Cleveland Clinic).
Our office is at 147 Main St, 2nd Floor, Lodi, NJ 07644, and Dr. Steven Liao is our dentist. See our dental implants page and our first-visit page.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic. "Dental Implants." Updated 2026-06-11. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/10903-dental-implants
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). "Implants." https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/implants
