Why Does My Dentist Say I Cant Get an Implant for My Extracted Molar?

Dental implants are a wonderful service for many people, but everyone may not be a candidate due to  poor quality bone.  It sounds as though you lost a significant amount of bone due to infection prior to having your tooth extracted.  The best option to see exactly the quantity of bone that you have in that area would be to have a 3D CBCT (CT scan) image taken of that area.  This can be done in a dental office that has a CT machine and will tell you the exact dimensions of your bone.  The doctor would easily be able to tell you if you are able to have an implant immediately or if a bone grafting procedure would need to be performed first.  

If a tooth was lost due to infection, it is not unusual to have lost significant bone. If there isn't more bone than the size of the implant, then an implant is not an option. Implants must be a minimum size depending on location, so perhaps a bridge is the best option. Another opinion after a clinical exam may help.

Dental Implants are almost always a viable option for replacement of a single or multiple teeth.  A molr tooth is no exception, even if there has been infection or root resorption.  It may take a secondary procedure to bone graft the area, but in an ideal situation for a molar tooth the area of the extracted tooth should be bone grafted IMMEDIATELY when the tooth is removed.  This allows for proper healing of the site and gives the ideal amount of bone and soft tissue for a dental implant that will last you the rest of your life. The implant is then placed after adequate healing occurs which can be fro 2-4 months usually.  As a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofaical surgeon I perform these procedures on a daily basis and have close to a 100% success rate performing the procedure this way.  I suggest you see a board certified oral surgeon to evaqluate your specific situation

Everyone situation is unique, however, in almost all cases procedures can be preformed to provide sufficient bone for dental implant placement.  It would be in your best interest to schedule an appointment with an oral surgeon to find out what your options really are....

Dental implants can work in many situations. If there has been a lot of bone damage due to an extensive infection, then that can lower the chance that an implant will be highly successful.

Many times an implant can be placed, even in bone that has had problems. There are often regional gurus who are amazing at getting implants to work in difficult places (sometimes an oral surgeon, or a periodontist).

It sounds to me like you ought to ask more questions about your situation. 

One other concern can be that depending upon the condition of the teeth neighboring the extraction area, a bridge can be far less costly, and repair more problems than just the missing tooth. A dentist who knows you and your conditions well can offer you good advice. 

Here's one warning: don't let ANYONE put an implant in until the dentist that will be making the crown says it's OK. In the end, the dentist building the teeth needs to direct the other specialists to create optimal results.