If you have a missing bottom tooth will the top teeth cave in?

i went to the dentist he said i needed root canal on my bottom molar i said no that i wanted it pulled out he said ok, a woman who worked in the office came in the room to tell me what the dentist was going to do to my teeth and she said he was going to do a root canal i told her no he is going to pull my tooth out, she said no i had to have root canal if not my top teeth would cave in so i said ok to the root canal, when the dentist came into the room he was still going to pull my tooth but she told him i had to have root canal are my top teeth will cave in, i did not stop to think why is she telling the dentist that she is not a dentist. was i lied to for money?

If you have a missing bottom tooth will the top teeth cave in?
The lady in the dentist office was right on with telling you that a missing lower tooth could in deed cause an upper tooth to move. If for example, if a last back lower tooth is extracted and not replaced, the opposing upper tooth that normally touched it when the mouth closes, that upper tooth can begin to drop towards the lower gum. If for instance a tooth is extracted leaving a gap between teeth on each side of where the tooth was, those teeth will tend to move together and that movement can eventually affect every other tooth on that jaw. Replacing extracted teeth, other than wisdom teeth, is almost always as crucial decision in that all your teeth are designed to balance and work together, removing one and leaving the space empty is akin to having a gear with some of it's teeth missing, such a gear will not properly function and eventually cause failure of the device it's suppose to operate. As far as the dentist not telling you this, I haven't an explanation for his or her lack of responsible professional imparting of crucial information.
Reply:no they wont cave in
Reply:no you weren't lied to for money. the top teeth will over-erupt without the bottom teeth to stop it. and the bottom teeth beside the gap will also start to tilt if you don't have the molar there to support it.
Reply:YES if no replacement is put in the opposing tooth will slowly move to fill the space. Doc W



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