When You Need a Little Extra Bone… We'll Give You a Lift!

A sinus lift is a special bone grafting procedure that is sometimes required when the amount of bone found in a patient's upper jaw (maxilla) is inadequate to accommodate a dental implant. The sinuses are located on top of your upper teeth and when any back teeth are removed, there is often just a thin wall of bone separating the sinus and the mouth. Dental implants need bone to hold them in place. A thorough examination and CT scan will reveal if sufficient bone is present to securely place a dental implant in the area.

Traditional Sinus Lift

For a traditional sinus lift, Drs. Sudbrink and Vakkas will add bone between your jaw and the sinuses to make it tall enough for an implant. To make room for the bone, the sinus membrane has to be moved upward, or "lifted" and bone is inserted. After several months of healing, the bone becomes part of the patient's jaw and dental implants can be inserted and stabilized in this new bone. *In some cases, where there is enough bone present to stabilize an implant, we can perform the sinus lift and implant placement as a single procedure.

Internal Sinus Lift

For patients with minimal bone loss, an internal sinus lift may be possible. In this minimally invasive procedure, the sinus bone is "lifted" through the implant site at the same time the implant is placed. This procedure can also be performed when an upper molar is initially extracted in anticipation of a future implant.