What are the drawbacks of missing two upper molars in a row?

I don’t think your face will cave in. But chances are you will favor chewing on the side without the missing molars. The side with the missing molars will have more tooth decay because chewing actually helps to prevent tooth decay.
Though maybe just being aware of this and being more diligent about cleaning the side with the missing molars might be enough?

Also, you’re lucky that the missing molars are not bottom ones. Without bottom molars to help keep them in place, upper molars can begin to move downwards into the open space.

Your teeth, top and bottom will move. The top ones will drop down somewhat and the ones in the same row will spread out.

@jca Good point about them spreading out.
Though I think she has all of her bottom molars.

Yes, but her top ones will spread and also drop down.

She has all of her bottom molars. Where would her top molars drop down to?

@fluthernutter: Ok gotcha. You are right about that.

Also your top molars could move sideways to fill the gap as well as lose bone mass in the extracted area.

The most ideal solution is to get an implant. One implant can support two teeth. Of course it isn’t cheap but it is worth every penny to have a well functioning mouth.

I have a tooth implant (top molar in the back) and I’m totally delighted with it. It functions better than my original tooth.

Good health!

(Waiting for Trailsillustrated) ^^ What they said. But the most immediate and on-going problem will be that your tongue will sometimes fill the void and you will bite the shit out it and it will be painful as hell. This will happen several times a day.

As someone who only has one bottom molar (and it’s a crown), eating will be slower. There’s no such thing as a “quick snack”.

I highly recommend dental implants. You can eat what you want, they don’t get cavities and they look just like regular teeth.

Aren’t dental implants something like $3,000+ ?

@anniereborn I’ve seen them as low as $2,000. And don’t bother trying to get insurance to cover them; at best, they’ll cover half of one before your benefits are expended.

@anniereborn: Easily, yes.

I can also say that my face hasn’t changed shape, nor have any of my teeth moved. I think age has a bit to do with that; I stopped growing decades ago, so my anatomy is pretty much where it’s going to be barring actually fracturing bones. So if you don’t have an extra $4–6k burning a hole in your pocket, I wouldn’t worry about it too much if you’re already a full-grown adult.

I have had 3 dental implants. I can assure you that from the time the tooth is pulled to the time that the crown is made and put in, the teeth do shift. I had implants on the bottom, and the top teeth come down (from not having bottom teeth in place to keep them up). Maybe not noticeable to the naked eye, but noticeable when the work is done.

We are all different. If you don’t mind having a 2 molar gap then let it go. But it is your choice where you can balance the cost of an implant vs not chewing you food smoothy and normally. There are options for you. Be aware that your present teeth situation will likely change in the future for the worse. Sadly losing teeth as we age is the normal progression that we all must deal with.

I have a friend who is one year younger than me and is completely toothless and refuses to where dentures. He seems OK with it. I on the other hand lost one molar way in the back where no one could see but I knew it was missing. It felt like a huge gap and I could not mentally tolerate it. I wanted that tooth replaced. It was not fun, painless, fast or cheap. I did not care. The complete multistep process took one year which included a bone graft procedure. I’m a very happy camper.

Dentist are so unappreciated and that is sad. They are so important in helping us to maintain good health. And thanks to the modern dentistry we have the choice to have teeth.

I’m going to go eat something with gusto now.

I don’t think dentists are unappreciated @gondwanalon, it’s just that many of us can’t afford their prices. Especially when our employers don’t offer dental insurance. I just had a back molar removed and it cost me $194. That was my cheapest option to take care of a molar that had broken apart. Many dentists don’t offer payment plans and you’re out of luck if you have bad credit. They want their money the day of the visit if you can’t use credit and you don’t have insurance. My youngest son needs wisdom teeth removed and my daughter will need braces soon and I have no idea where we’re going to get the money for these procedures. They are very expensive and we don’t have insurance. We’re screwed.

@jonsblond That’s why I’m where I am. $275 co-pay to remove 3 molars, or $6,000–9,000 out of pocket for implants…. for those who can’t always pay rent on-time, the decision is made for us. And I won’t be getting a lower partial denture either as that $1,800 could be better spent paying off half of one of the ER visits we’ve had this year, or having enough gas to get to work to earn any money at all.

The well-off have a choice; the rest of us (the majority of Americans) don’t.

@jerv I was lucky enough to save the other molar that needed work only because my father offered to help. I’d be missing two if it wasn’t for him.

@jonsblond Way to go! Where ther is a will there is a way!
I hear people say now and then say how they hate going to the dentist and the reason is that they are afraid and it can be painful. The cost seems to be secondary. I’m sorry about your predicament. I didn’t know that dentists were so picky. My father was a dentist and my Mother use to complain that people would take advantage of him by saying that they will pay him later and then never would. He was a sucker for a sad story and did a lot of free work.

@jerv Oh don’t you just hate the rich bourgeoisie! I’m not rich or even close. I’m likely somewhere abound middle class. I’m just hospital worker- bee and my wife is a dietitian. I do have dental insurance but if didn’t I would pay myself without hesitation. This January I will retire after 39 years of being a Med Tech and lose my dental insurance. This will not be a problem as good health is among my top priorities in life. Money is far down my list.

@jerv: If the three teeth are next to each other, they usually do less posts and therefore, less crowns, which means lower cost.

@gondwanalon I’m not poor either; right around the median income in the US. That means about half the country is less able to come up with a few grand than I am. If I’m one of the lucky ones, imagine how rough it is for those in worse positions than I am.
Good health is a priority for me too, and people who live indoors and eat every day tend to be healthier, as do those that go to the ER when life-threatening emergencies occur. (Currently my second largest expense after rent.)
I’m just saying that it’s not nearly so easy as you make it sound unless you live a charmed life free of illness or injury, and with a steady, good-paying job with decent benefits.

@jca Still thousands though. Looking through all my options, haven’t found one yet that’s less than 2 months net income. Since I have other bills, it won’t be happening until at least mid-2015. But yes, something bridge-like is considerably cheaper.

@jerv I can understand your predicament. But don’t give up. There are dentists out there that are flexible with payments. I’ve noticed that there are dentists in my area tho offer financing options and also one dentist advertises $1,999 per implant. If you have reasonable credit then there is likely a dentist out there somewhere who will help you. Bridge work might function well at first but will ultimately fail over time as bone is lost and teeth shift.

Also I know of people who have good dental insurance and make more money that I do who refuse to go to the dentist until something goes wrong in their mouth and they are in great pain. Such is their fear of the dentist. Two people at work have quite a few missing teeth and will not get implants. Why? They are afraid of the dentist and I suppose have a very low tolerance for pain. They will likely be wearing dentures some day and how painful is that?

@gondwanalon and @jerv: The first time I got a dental implant, I was very concerned about what I perceived would be a painful recovery. I was ecstatic when I was done because of the lack of pain. I went to the grocery store, and then went home, sure that the pain would start any minute. I felt fine and went out that night. Same with the next two dental implants I had.

The idea of drilling into the bone sounds horrifying, but the recovery was relatively painless.

I am definitely an advocate for dental implants.

@gondwanalon Maybe after I take care of other issues, but given the bills I already racked up (my insurance only covered half my car accident, and my wife has had her own issues), I won’t be in a position for even that for a while. I actually have a great dentist who is flexible on payments; that’s how I got what little work I have had done done.

I’m not good with pain either, but my dentist is good with the Lidocaine, as was the one I had back when I lived on the other side of the country. Those who are afraid of the pain just need to find a better dentist :p