Frankfort and Mokena Residents: Why Getting Dental Implants Before 60 Makes Sense
Not because 60 is a deadline. Because the jaw does not hold a gap open forever, and the plan gets simpler the sooner you deal with it.
Timing Matters
Waiting can add a graft step
Scanned in 3D
CBCT shows the bone you have
Grafts Done Here
No second office, no referral
The Real Reason
Nothing Magic Happens at 60
Let’s be straight about the headline. There is no age limit on dental implants, and we place them for patients well into their seventies. The reason we tell Frankfort and Mokena patients not to sit on a missing tooth has nothing to do with a birthday.
It is this: once a tooth is gone, the bone that used to hold its root is no longer being loaded, and over time it tends to thin out. How much and how fast varies by person. But a site that has been empty for eight years often needs rebuilding before an implant can go in, and a site that has been empty for eight months usually does not.
So the honest version of the advice is: sooner is a simpler plan. Sixty is just where a lot of people finally get around to it.
What Changes and When
The Clock Nobody Mentions at the Extraction
This is general, not a prediction for your mouth. Your scan is the only thing that tells us where you actually are.
The Site Is Fresh
The ridge is at its fullest. This is the easiest window to place an implant, and in some cases the post can go in at or near the time of the extraction.
The Ridge Narrows
Without a root loading it, the bone at that spot gradually gives up volume. Neighboring teeth can also start to drift toward the gap.
Rebuild First
Still fixable, just an extra step. Bone grafting restores enough width and height to anchor an implant, then the post goes in once it has healed.
Four Practical Reasons
Why Will County Patients Stop Putting It Off
Fewer Steps
A case that does not need grafting is fewer appointments, fewer months, and one less procedure to schedule around.
The Neighbors Stay Put
Teeth drift toward an open gap over time. Filling the space early keeps the bite you already have rather than correcting it later.
You Still Have the Working Years
Most people would rather do this while they still have dental coverage through work than after it changes.
The Trail Does Not Wait
Frankfort and Mokena people are outside. Twenty-two miles of the Old Plank Road Trail run through here, and the years you feel like using it are the ones you are in now.
A Short Drive North
Two Towns, One Office on 80th Avenue
Frankfort and Mokena sit next to each other in Frankfort Township, sharing a school district, a township line, and a lot of the same commute. Frankfort’s population runs a little over 21,000 with a median age of 42, which is squarely the decade where the first real tooth decision shows up.
Downtown Frankfort keeps the Grainery and Breidert Green. Mokena keeps Front Street. Neither has an implant practice with six dentists in one building, which is why the drive up 80th Avenue to Tinley Park is a short one worth making.
One Missing Tooth
A post and a crown, neighbors untouched. See single tooth dental implants.
Several in a Row
Two posts carrying a span. See implant supported bridges, or compare against a traditional dental bridge.
Not Enough Bone Yet
Rebuild the ridge, then place. See bone grafting, planned on a CBCT scan.
Getting Here
About Fifteen Minutes from Mokena
Come north on 80th Avenue, or take LaGrange Road up and cut east. Free lot at the door. Before you come in, the financial options page covers insurance and the in house membership plan, and you can meet the dentists on the doctors page.
The Office
Six Dentists, One Building, Since 1974
The reason Will County patients drive up for this is not the building. It is that the scan, the graft, the placement, and the crown all happen in the same office with the same team, and the dentist who plans your case is the one who will still be checking it in ten years.
What Patients Say
Trusted Across the Southwest Suburbs
“I waited six years and needed the graft first. My wife did hers right away and was done in half the time. Learn from me.”
— Read more on our patient reviews page
Common Questions
Timing and Implants: Frankfort and Mokena FAQ
What patients ask when they are trying to decide whether to deal with it now.
Is there an age limit for dental implants?
No. There is no upper age cutoff and nothing clinically special about turning 60. What decides candidacy is the bone at the site and your general health, which a CBCT scan and an exam will show. Plenty of implants are placed for patients well past 70.
What happens to the jawbone after a tooth is lost?
The bone at that spot is no longer being loaded by a root, and over time it tends to lose volume. How much and how fast varies from person to person. That is why replacing a tooth sooner often means a simpler plan than replacing it years later.
Can I still get an implant if I lost the tooth years ago?
Usually yes. It may take an extra step. If the scan shows the ridge has thinned, bone grafting rebuilds the site and the implant is placed once it has healed. We do grafting here rather than referring it out, so it stays one office and one team.
Does waiting make dental implants cost more?
It can, because a case that needs a graft involves more appointments and more materials than one that does not. We will not put a number on your case before we have scanned it. Ask for a written estimate at the consult and we will check your insurance first.
How far is McGonigle Dental from Frankfort and Mokena?
The office is at 17519 80th Ave. in Tinley Park, roughly fifteen minutes from Mokena and a little more from downtown Frankfort. Most patients come up 80th Avenue or take LaGrange Road north and cut across.
Do I have to see an oral surgeon somewhere else?
Not here. Six dentists practice in this building and the scan, the graft, the placement, and the crown all happen in the same office. For patients driving in from Will County, that is usually the deciding factor. For general background on candidacy, see the American Dental Association.
Find Out Which Plan You Are Looking At
17519 80th Ave., Tinley Park, IL · A short drive from Frankfort and Mokena