What Age Should Patients Be for an Implant?

If you have a patient who needs an implant fitted as part of their orthodontics treatment plan, knowing when to do this isn’t always straightforward. Fortunately, we’ve outlined some key things you should know about the optimal age for an implant treatment plan to help you choose when to address this for your patients.

When is the Optimal Age for Patients to Get an Implant?

Many people assume that, once a patient turns 18, they will be a good candidate for an implant. However, this isn’t always the case, as some patients may continue to grow after this stage, which can severely impact the results of the implant. This can leave the jaw and teeth growing around the implant, causing very poor results down the line (especially with anterior cases).

As such, before doing any implants, always take at least two serial Cephs (at least a year apart) to ensure there is no growth between these two stages. For girls, the safest time may be around 21 years of age; for boys, this likely increases to around 25 years, to be safe. However, you may be able to start this anywhere between 18 – 21 years for girls and 21 – 25 years for boys, provided that the patient has fully stopped growing; if there is any growth between the two Cephs, do not start the implant treatment plan until you are confident the growth has stopped.