When you first get started on your dental implant journey, you may rightly be excited about the road ahead! Of course, you might run into a few unexpected bits of news. For example, your oral surgeon might inform you that you need a sinus lift before you can move forward with replacing your teeth. What exactly is a sinus lift, and why might you need one? This blog post explains.
What Is a Sinus Lift?
A sinus lift is a specific type of dental bone graft. During the procedure, your oral surgeon carefully accesses your sinus membrane through your upper jaw. They carefully move it upward. Then, they insert a bone graft beneath it to keep it in its new place and fortify your jawbone. The bone might come from elsewhere in your body or another source, such as an animal.
The goal of a sinus lift is to make enough space in the upper jaw for a dental implant to be successful. Without this procedure, an implant might penetrate your sinus and lead to painful complications.
Will You Need a Sinus Lift?
Sinus lift surgery is not necessary for every patient who needs to replace teeth in their upper jaw. However, it is quite commonly recommended. You might need this procedure if:
- A significant amount of time has passed since your natural teeth were removed. After tooth removal, the jawbone starts to deteriorate because it is no longer being stimulated. It can shrink to the point where it can no longer accommodate a dental implant, leading to the need for a sinus lift or another type of bone graft.
- Your sinuses are naturally large. This may be the result of genetics. It is also fairly common for seniors to have larger sinuses than younger folks.
- You were injured. Some injuries can affect the structure of the jawbone so much that a sinus lift becomes necessary.
A digital X-ray or CBCT scan can provide your surgical team with the information they need to determine if a sinus lift is required in your case.
What Can You Expect from a Sinus Lift?
Thanks to provisions like anesthesia, sedation, and advanced surgical techniques, you can expect your sinus lift to be a fairly easy experience. You may feel little to nothing during the surgery itself. Afterward, some swelling and soreness are likely to occur. Your care team will provide detailed post-op instructions to facilitate a smooth, complication-free recovery.
The soft tissue at your surgical site may heal within a week or two. The bone takes longer to recover. It could be 6 months or longer before the grafted material is fully integrated. Then, you may be a viable candidate for dental implants.
Sinus lift surgery may lengthen your tooth replacement timeline, but the good results it provides are well worth any inconvenience that you may experience along the way.
Meet the Practice
At South Florida Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, our team is proud to have five skilled oral surgeons. We perform a range of advanced dental implant procedures, including sinus lift surgery. If you are curious about what it would take to rebuild your missing teeth, we are ready to answer your questions. Contact our Jupiter office at 561-203-5744.