Dental Implants for Over 60s UK: Guide for 2026

Being in your sixties, seventies or older does not on its own rule you out of dental implants. A systematic review in Clinical Oral Implants Research concluded that implants are a reliable treatment for older adults, including those over 75, and found a five-year implant survival rate of 96.8% in patients over 75. What decides whether implants suit you is your general health, the medicines you take, the bone in your jaw and whether you can keep the implants clean.

Do implants work as well in older patients?

The research on older patients shows high survival rates. These are the two studies we found that looked specifically at this age group:

Study	Patients	Follow-up	Implant survival
Systematic review and meta-analysis, Clinical Oral Implants Research	Studies of patients aged 65 and over, with 3892 implants in total	Five years	96.8% in patients over 75; 92.1% in patients aged 65 to 75
Retrospective study, Clinical Oral Implants Research	74 patients aged 65 or over when the implants were placed	Mean 6.2 years (range 5 to 10.7 years)	95.4%

The authors of the second study concluded that older age should not be considered a limiting factor for implant treatment. The review did note that plaque and bleeding gums were more frequent in the older group, although the bone around the implants stayed stable. That is a reminder that cleaning and regular check-ups matter at any age.

What matters more than age?

Your health and your mouth. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust says an implant patient needs to be relatively fit and healthy, with good oral hygiene and a stable dentition with no active decay or infection, and needs enough bone height and volume in the jaw. These are the points older patients most often need to discuss.

Osteoporosis and bone medicines

Tell your dentist if you take, or have taken, medicines such as alendronic acid. The NHS says a rare side effect of alendronic acid is jawbone damage, advises regular dental check-ups while you take it, and asks you to tell your doctor if you are waiting for dental treatment. The research is reassuring for low doses: a review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences concluded that implants may not be linked to a higher risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients on low-dose bone-modifying drugs, and that implant survival in osteoporosis patients on oral treatment was similar to a healthy population. It was based on only five studies, so the decision should be made with your dentist and doctor together.

Osteoporosis itself showed no significant effect on implant failure in a meta-analysis in PLoS One, which also found no clear effect of diabetes on failure (relative risk 0.90).

Blood thinners

Do not stop them on your own. The NHS page on apixaban says you will be given an anticoagulant alert card and should show it to your doctor or dentist before any medical or dental procedure. Your implant dentist should plan the surgery around your medicine with your GP or prescriber.

Dry mouth

Dry mouth is a side effect of many medicines, and the NHS suggests checking your medicine’s leaflet to see if it is listed. Mention it at your consultation, as it affects how you care for your mouth.

Smoking and healing

Cambridge expects smokers to stop at least six months before implant treatment. It says the implant usually takes three to six months to heal in the bone, sometimes longer, and that a bone graft adds at least four months. If the bone has shrunk, you may need a graft first; our bone graft guide explains the options.

Are implant-retained dentures a good option?

If you have no teeth left in one jaw, one option is a denture that clips onto two or more implants. The review of older patients found that, among overdenture wearers over 65, dentures held by single attachments had significantly higher implant loss rates than those held on a bar joining the implants. Ask your dentist which design they suggest and why.

These are published prices for a lower denture on two implants at UK clinics, taken from their own fee pages:

Clinic	City	What is listed	Price
Implant + Perio Clinic	London	2 implants, including attachments and overdenture	£4,000
HQ dental	Leeds	Stabilised lower denture with 2 locator implants	£4,725
Woods Dental	Swansea	Lower denture with metal framework clipping onto two implants, including surgery and the restorative phase	£4,800
The Dental Wellness Centre	Leicester	2-implant supported full denture	£5,000
Modus Advanced Dental Clinic	Coventry	Implant-retained overdenture (two implants and locator)	From £5,750
Stoke Bishop Dental Centre	Bristol	New lower denture and placement of 2 implants	£7,134.60

Check what each price includes, such as the scan, the denture itself and follow-up visits. For single implants and other options, see our guides to mini dental implants, All-on-4 and full mouth implant costs.

Can older patients get implants on the NHS?

Rarely, and not because of age. The NHS says implants are usually only available privately, but are sometimes provided for patients who cannot wear dentures for reasons such as mouth cancer or an accident. Hospital criteria are strict. Leeds Dental Institute, for example, lists severe denture intolerance despite technically acceptable dentures among its categories, and says belonging to a category does not guarantee treatment. Our guide to NHS dental implants covers the referral route.

Questions to ask at your consultation

Do my medicines, past or present, change the plan or the timing?
Will you speak to my GP or prescriber before surgery?
Do I have enough bone, and does the quote include any grafting?
How many appointments will I need, and how long will I be without teeth?
How will I clean the implants or denture at home, and how often should I come back for checks? Cambridge advises every three to six months.

If cost is the main concern, our guides to dental implant finance and cheaper dental implants set out the options, and our complications guide covers the risks in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an age limit for dental implants in the UK?

None of the NHS or research sources we checked sets an upper age limit. A systematic review concluded that implants are a reliable treatment for older adults, including those over 75. Suitability depends on your health, medicines, bone and ability to keep the implants clean.

Are dental implants successful in people over 70?

The research says yes for most patients. A review found five-year implant survival of 96.8% in patients over 75 and 92.1% in those aged 65 to 75, and a study of patients aged 65 or over found 95.4% survival after a mean of 6.2 years.

Can I have implants if I take alendronic acid or other osteoporosis medicine?

Often, but tell your dentist and doctor first. The NHS lists jawbone damage as a rare side effect of alendronic acid, and a review of five studies found implants may not raise the risk of jaw osteonecrosis at low doses. The decision should be made with both of them.

Can I have implants if I take blood thinners?

Usually the surgery is planned around the medicine. Do not stop it yourself. The NHS advises showing your anticoagulant alert card to your dentist before any dental procedure, and your dentist should agree a plan with your prescriber.

How much do implant-retained dentures cost?

At the UK clinics in our table, a lower denture on two implants is listed from £4,000 to £7,134.60. Check whether the price includes the denture, the scan and follow-up visits.

Dental Implants for Over 60s UK: What Older Patients Need to Know (2026)