# How Long Is It \*Possible\* To Keep Your Teeth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976 "2013-08-11T22:58:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/1 "2013-08-11T22:58:40Z")
The recent threads about dental problems (and my own upcoming regular cleaning tomorrow) have me thinking about teeth. Now, I’ve been very fortunate, I’m almost 50 and still have all my own teeth including my wisdom teeth/3rd molars (fully erupted, not crowding the other teeth, useful for chewing, in line with everything else - yes, _do_ have a big mouth 😃 ) and all of three minor cavities in my entire life. I sure hope I can keep 'em another half century, but even someone as fortunate as myself I have noticed that over the years there has been some wear, some very minor chipping (lost a point off a canine, teeny corner off an incisor, you really have to look close, that sort of thing), and, well, I do use them several times a day. Just how long _do_ human teeth last in living people (obviously, teeth in dead skulls can last millions of years)? Is there an age by which you inevitably start losing them? Any record of people 100 years old still having all (or at least most) of their own teeth? Assuming no inherent flaws (like teeth that come in defective) and regular care (part of my good fortune is no doubt due to mom dragging me to the dentist regularly every 6 months as a child) how long can a person expect to keep their teeth? ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/2 "2013-08-11T23:03:39Z")
People 100 years old today didn’t have modern dental care when they were younger, so not really a fair test. Check back a century from now and I think people will keep teeth as long as they live. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/3 "2013-08-11T23:30:02Z")
I live in the UK, which has fluoridation. I’m 60 and have all my teeth. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/4 "2013-08-11T23:46:08Z")
I’ve got a 95 year old patient with all her own, not store bought, teeth. It’s not all that usual, though, especially in the low income population I’m usually working with. Most of my folks have (or need but don’t have) at least a partial by the time they hit 65. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/5 "2013-08-11T23:56:33Z")
I’ve been told over and over again that tooth loss is not a necessary adjunct of the aging process; it is entirely the result of an infectious process. If the offending bacteria can be kept in check, a human can keep his or her teeth indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/6 "2013-08-12T00:02:01Z")
I’m 75 and missing only two. And I haven’t been particularly diligent about dental maintenance. There was no fluoride until I was in my 20s. My dad lived to 93, and had only a few missing when he died. He had excellent dental care when he was growing up in the early 20th century – it was called chewing tough unprocessed food. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/7 "2013-08-12T00:18:09Z")
as a dentist I’ve seen all types. The youngest person that I made complete dentures for was 23. I’ve seen plenty of patients in their 80s and 90s with most if not all of their teeth. Genetics plays a big factor but how you take care of them matters greatly. There is no reason that that average person shouldn’t be able to keep the vast majority of their teeth for their entire life. Tooth loss is like weight gain just because most people gain weight/loose teeth as they get older doesn’t mean it is inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/8 "2013-08-12T00:57:05Z")
My Dad is 67 and has all his original teeth. He never had braces, so some are bent a bit, but they are in great shape overall. Just a few cavities that he had filled. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/9 "2013-08-12T01:40:10Z")
My dad got his first crown at 69, just 6 months before he died. I have patients as old as 99 with pretty much all their teeth intact, they aren’t necessarily pretty teeth but they are there. The youngest person I have ever known with dentures got them at age 15 when someone punched her in the mouth and she lost several teeth. Her parents opted to have the rest of her teeth pulled and dentures made instead. :eek: I doubt a dentist these days would consent to that! ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/10 "2013-08-12T01:42:40Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > I’ve been told over and over again that tooth loss is not a necessary adjunct of the aging process; it is entirely the result of an infectious process. If the offending bacteria can be kept in check, a human can keep his or her teeth indefinitely. This. My grandparents all had dentures as long as I can remember (their late 50’s-early 60’s), my parents are in their mid 60s and have all of their original teeth but were plagued with cavities during their childhood, and always seem to be going to the dentist to get a crown or filling replaced, etc. My siblings and I (32-41yo) all have perfect teeth, and going to the dentist has never involved anything more than a routine cleaning for us. From what I’ve seen, this seems to be more or less true for the general public. IANADDS, but thanks to flouride and increased emphasis on tooth care and maintenance compared to prior generations, you’ll probably be golden as long as you keep doing what you’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/11 "2013-08-12T02:01:30Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > as a dentist … Psst…hey, doc, [got a sec](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16562763#post16562763)? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Ayebaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darth_ayebaw/32/9870_2.png) [@Darth\_Ayebaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Ayebaw)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/12 "2013-08-12T02:06:58Z")
Your teeth may last longer than the rest of you, but isn’t ‘indefinitely’ stretching it a little? At the very least they face daily erosion. AFAIK they are also unable to make up for that erosion. I may be wrong in that, since it was once thought that neurons are irreplaceable, it may turn out there are also loopholes with enamel. Wouldn’t it be possible to find a theoretical upper limit on how long people can keep their teeth by precisely measuring how much (however minuscule) they are eroded per meal, and extrapolate until they’re ground down so much as to be useless? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/13 "2013-08-12T02:09:12Z")
It’s now believed that teeth do [remineralize](http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/oral-care/procedures/remineralization-of-teeth.htm)to some extent. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/14 "2013-08-12T02:43:45Z")
My mother passed away at 92, and the only tooth she ever lost was knocked out shortly before her wedding in 1938. Her dentist gave her a “temporary” tooth, to be replaced after her honeymoon. She never got the permanent one, and the temporary lasted her entire life. But the dentist died. ---
**Author:** ![ChickenLegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/15 "2013-08-12T03:10:05Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > My mother passed away at 92, and the only tooth she ever lost was knocked out shortly before her wedding in 1938. Her dentist gave her a “temporary” tooth, to be replaced after her honeymoon. She never got the permanent one, and the temporary lasted her entire life. But the dentist died. I love this story. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/16 "2013-08-12T03:15:20Z")
At least 89 years; my grandmother has a full mouth of her own original teeth, and she’s 89. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/17 "2013-08-12T10:02:29Z")
Personal opinion… laziness means no link to back it up: it’s in the genes (nature) , the possibility of keeping your teeth. Another thing is how you care for them. (nurture) ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/18 "2013-08-12T16:32:33Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Psst…hey, doc, [got a sec](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16562763#post16562763)? Sure I got a sec. Most denture teeth today are made of plastic. Some are still made of ceramic but not too many. Also teeth are not real big. They look large but most are fairly thin. I’m sure it is possible to pass it and not notice it. No way to know for sure short of recovering it unless he wants to try an X-ray or something. I would think being asymtomatic is a good sign but doesn’t mean it isn’t stuck somewhere. I would think that unless it becomes symptomatic he won’t do any thing about it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/19 "2013-08-12T16:50:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Just how long _do_ human teeth last in living people (obviously, teeth in dead skulls can last millions of years)? Is there an age by which you inevitably start losing them? Any record of people 100 years old still having all (or at least most) of their own teeth? 4 over 32 is certainly not all, but that’s how many of my 100yo-next-November grandma’s teeth she didn’t need to pay for. Judging by the reactions of medical personnel, that’s pretty rare. We don’t tell them Gramps died at 95 and had only two paid-for teeth… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976/20 "2013-08-12T17:02:16Z")
I had a relative who had all her own teeth at 97 years of age. It is a matter of taking care of them. It is very important to make sure that when in a hospital or long term care facility that you get proper attention to oral hygiene. These facilities are very unused to having patients their own teeth, so whoever is family needs to make sure attention is given to this. Specialized geriatric dentists are available. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-it-possible-to-keep-your-teeth/665976.md?page=2)