Implants after 60: age, bone, health — when it works and what gets checked

Key points

• There is no upper age limit for implants. There is a health limit: controlled blood pressure and blood sugar, no acute inflammation, a clear list of medications.
• At 60–75, bone integrates an implant the same way it does at 40 — a little more slowly, so the timeline to a permanent crown can be longer.
• The main difference is in preparation: lab tests, sign-off from a physician or cardiologist, and a plan for cases where there is little bone.
• At Tursunov Clinic, surgery is done under local anaesthesia; the clinic has patients who were restored at 70 and implants that have been followed for more than five years.

Age is not a contraindication

Patients often arrive saying "it's too late for me." That is not true: an implant holds in bone because bone grows onto it, and that ability does not disappear with age. Published studies show implant survival in patients over 65 at 95% and above — the same as in younger patients.

What really does change after 60:

Bone remodels more slowly. An implant integrates not in 2–3 months but sometimes in 4–6. That changes the timeline, not the outcome.

There is often less bone. If teeth were lost long ago, the ridge has thinned. But that is exactly what All-on-4/5 with tilted implants and a sinus lift are for — they work around the bone shortfall.

There are more coexisting conditions and medications. Blood pressure, diabetes, blood thinners — all of this is factored into the plan. Patients are not turned away; they are planned for.

What gets checked before surgery

A CBCT scan (11,000 ₸) — bone volume, and the position of the nerve and the sinus.

Lab tests: a complete blood count, blood sugar (glycated haemoglobin for diabetics), clotting. [List — to confirm with the clinic.]

Medications. Bring a full list of everything you take to the consultation. Blood thinners and bisphosphonates (for osteoporosis) matter especially — they change the plan.

A sign-off from a physician or cardiologist if you have chronic conditions. This is not a formality: the doctor needs to know your blood pressure is stable and that surgery under local anaesthesia is safe.

All of this is ordinary preparation for any planned surgery. The difference from a 40-year-old patient is that there are more of these items, not that implants are 'off the table.'

What surgery looks like at 65

At Tursunov Clinic, implants are placed under local anaesthesia, without general anaesthesia: the patient is conscious, feels no pain, and can take a break. One implant takes about an hour; All-on-4/5 for one jaw takes 2–3 hours. Blood pressure is measured before and during surgery.

For patients with health limitations, surgery is sometimes split into two visits: one side first, the other a week later. It takes longer but is easier to tolerate.

Afterwards: 5–7 days of a normal routine without physical exertion or saunas, soft food, and a prescribed pain reliever. Stitches come out after 7–10 days.

What the clinic's cases show

At 70, a patient received a complete metal-ceramic restoration — age got in the way of neither the treatment nor getting used to the new teeth.

Five years after implant placement, a patient came back — not because of the implants: they were still working fine on the molars, while the bridgework on the patient's own front teeth had broken down. The implants in bone turned out more reliable than the crowned natural teeth.

A patient whose upper jaw was restored with All-on-4 several years earlier has now had the lower jaw done as well. The upper restoration had been working the whole time.

All three cases involve people who "thought it was too late."

What it costs

One tooth on an Izen implant — from 80,000 ₸ for the implant plus a crown (see the article on turnkey pricing). A full jaw: All-on-4 Izen — 1,200,000 ₸, All-on-5 Izen — 1,500,000 ₸; a more affordable option for the lower jaw is a removable denture on two implants with locators, 400,000 ₸. Instalments with Kaspi Red 0-0-24 or Halyk 0-0-12. The consultation is free.

Related services and guides

• Full-arch implant restoration in Astana
• All-on-4 in Astana
• All-on-5 in Astana

Frequently asked questions

I'm 72 and have hypertension. Is it possible?

If your blood pressure is stable on medication — yes. A cardiologist's sign-off and a blood pressure check on the day of surgery are needed.

I take blood thinners. Does that rule it out?

No, but it needs to be coordinated with a cardiologist: sometimes the medication is adjusted for a day or two, sometimes surgery goes ahead unchanged with local haemostatic measures.

Osteoporosis and implants?

They are compatible, but if you take bisphosphonates, be sure to mention it — it changes the approach.

Will implants integrate if I have diabetes?

Yes, if your blood sugar is controlled. There is a separate article on this.

How long will implants last if I'm 65?

With normal hygiene and a check-up every six months — decades; no one can promise a guaranteed lifespan.