Tooth 3 - bad enough for implant

[toothy123]

Hi there.

My mom moved to out of state and saw my sister's dentist. That dentist, on her first visit, said she needed an implant for tooth #3.
My mom has no pain or issue with this tooth.

I called her old dentist (our family dentist of 15 years) whom she saw about 1 month ago. My mom's tooth #3 was under watch but
our dentist said nothing needed to be done.

Can someone tell me based on this low res image from the new dentist if that tooth is bad. I cannot figure out which tooth is #3.

Thanks

 

[Dr M]

There are a lot of cavities that I can see. Especially on her front teeth. I would not recommend doing an implant if the tooth is not troubling her. It seems like it is her top right molar, second from the back. It has secondary decay underneath the crown. Wait until the tooth becomes symptomatic, or shows signs of infection that could threaten the bone or other teeth in the vicinity. Until then, use the tooth for as long as possible.

 

[toothy123]

Thanks Dr. M!