Is a implant needed??? (teeth, pulled, gums, hurts)

[Charlie&Rose]

DH went to the dentist, because a filling fell out. The tooth is way in the back, the dentist said she could not save it, and it had to come out. It will be his first tooth loss. My question is....why does he need a 6K inplant, for a back tooth? She said something to him, about other teeth shifting, because of the empty space.?

[Hemlock140]

If it's the farthest back, he could easily get by without it. At any other place, yes, the neighboring teeth can shift, but more importantly food gets into the space, and it's very annoying when eating. I have that situation now, temporarily, while waiting for my gums around a new implant to heal before the abutment and crown are installed. Peas drop in, but also other small bits of food, and if you eat something hard like nuts or sharp like chips they can hit the bare gums there and it hurts. This implant will be my 4th, and they have cost $4-5,000 but with my dental insurance and also being on my wife's it's been about 1/2 out of pocket.

[jh4986]

If the back tooth you mention is the wisdom tooth, I had 2 upper wisdom teeth pulled decades ago without implant. On each side, I still have 2 molars for eating, and they are doing fine.