Upper jaw implants
If you are considering an implant towards the back of your upper jaw, you may be told that a sinus lift is required.
You may have gone as far as your initial consultation only to hear that you need sinus lift surgery — or a sinus augmentation — to ensure your dental implant treatment is a success. But what is sinus lift surgery, is it essential, what will it feel like and how will it affect you?
Explained
A sinus augmentation is a dental procedure carried out when the floor of the sinus is too close to where dental implants will be placed. Untreated, this can cause implant failure, pain and other complications. Sinus lift procedures add bone to the upper jaw, ensuring a secure location for implant placement while keeping the sinus safe.
The maxillary sinuses are holes in the facial bones between your upper teeth and your eyes (these fill with mucus when you have a head cold). Loss of an upper tooth below the sinus can cause the sinus to grow into the area previously occupied by the tooth, leaving insufficient bone in which to place an implant. If bone grafting is performed at the time of extraction, this does not occur.
Where bone is insufficient, a sinus lift can be performed — we modify the shape of the sinus by adding bone substitute material to the area. There are two methods: an internal (osteotome) approach if a relatively small addition of bone is required, or an external (lateral window or Caldwell-Luc) approach if substantial extra bone is needed.
Sinus lifts are nothing to worry about — at Ardent Smile Clinic in Clapton, Hackney we perform them routinely and the risk of complications is very low. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to ask one of our friendly team members.
Techniques
If an osteotome approach is used, this is done at the time of your implant placement. Dr Masih Sage and his team create the hole for the implant and then introduce a metal instrument called an osteotome. The osteotome is tapped gently to raise the shell of the sinus upwards, and this area is then filled with bone. The implant is then placed.
In the Caldwell-Luc technique a window is made in the bone adjacent to your sinus. The lower shell of the sinus is lifted with an instrument and bone substitute material is placed in the space created. The area is then covered over with gum, sutured, and left to heal for a minimum of six months.
Benefits
Most implant patients do not require any form of sinus lift, but for those that do there are long-term benefits that make the procedure worthwhile.
Increased bone for implants to be placed into
Lower risk of implant failure
Lower risk of sinus pain
Lower risk of sinus infection or other complications later on
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Our Clapton implant team will explain exactly what your upper jaw needs, based on your CBCT scan.
