How Long Dental Crowns Last

If you’re considering getting dental crowns, one of the main questions you probably have is about how long you can expect them to last.

Below we look at the answer to that question, explain why it’s not an easy question to answer, what factors affect how long they last for and some research that helps provide as good as answer on how long they last as you’re going to find.

So let’s get right to it…

Based on information compiled from dentists, insurance companies and some academic studies, the average amount of time that dental crowns last for is in the 5 to 15 year range.

That’s a pretty big range, so let’s look a little more closely at some data to come up with a more specific average number for you. Specifically the average the insurance companies use. Because insurance companies have a lot of people that crunch the numbers to determine things like this. When it comes to insurance companies, they usually will pay for replacements crowns every 8 years or so. Which means 8 years is a really good number that you should look at when answering the question “how long do veneers last?”

So that’s the insurance company answer. But what does the research show? Well, a fairly recent study looked at the different types of crowns and how long they last. Let’s take a look at what this study found…

Basically it looked at different material crowns are made out of and what percentage of them were still in good shape after 10 years.

For dental crowns that were made from gold, 96% of them were still in good shape 10 years down the road.

For crowns made of porcelain fused to metal, 90% of them lasted at least 10 years.

Crowns made entirely of ceramic had the lowest percentage with 80% of them still in good shape after 10 years.

But there’s a little more to this story, however. This research was done based on research papers that were published between 1974 and 2014. And crowns have been improving in recent years due to improvements in the materials used to make them. And this has helped them last even longer. Which means that it’s a good bet that a crown you get today has a very high likelihood of lasting 10 years or more.

Factors That Affect How Long Crowns Last

The materials crowns are made out of definitely impact how long they last. But there are other factors at play here. Let’s take a look at some of the more important ones…

Dental Care

If you do a good job of brushing and flossing on a regular basis (combined with regular trips to your dentist), you can expect to improve the life span of your crowns.

Grinding and Clenching

If you are in the habit of grinding or clenching your teeth, you can expect your crowns to wear out more quickly.

Bite Force

Similar to grinding and clenching. The stronger your bite force, the more quickly your crowns will wear down.

Your Dentist

If you go to a more skilled dentist who takes the time to make sure your crowns fit properly and are customized perfectly for your mouth, then you can expect the crowns to last longer.

The Original Tooth

The more of the original tooth that’s available to anchor the crown, the more likely the crown will last longer.