30 Central Park South, Suite 3A, New York, NY
Sinus Floor Augmentation, Manhattan NY
Please call today to schedule an appointment or with any questions: ☎ Frederick G Hegedus, D.D.S. Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon Phone Number 212-759-2993
When Sinus Lift is Needed?
A sinus lift is one of the most common bone grafting procedures for patients with bone loss in the upper jaw.
The sinuses in the upper jaw (maxillary sinuses) are located above the upper back teeth on both sides of the nose. These sinuses are empty, air-filled cavities lined with a thin soft tissue membrane attached to the bone.
Some of the roots of the upper teeth can extend up into the maxillary sinuses. After the healing of upper teeth removal, or when upper teeth are lost for a long time, often there is no sufficient bone left between the floor of the sinus and the roof of the mouth to insert an implant. Dental implants require bone to support their structure. The key to a successful and long-lasting dental implant is the quality and quantity of jawbone to which the implant will be attached. The entire implant needs to be embedded in bone, so when there is no sufficient bone available, a sinus floor augmentation is required, to allow for new bone formation.
Often, there is enough bone to hold the implant stable at the time of placement, but not enough to put the entire implant into bone (e.g. the available bone between the floor of the sinus and the roof of the mouth is 5mm, and a 10mm implant should be placed). In cases like this, the implants and the sinus bone graft can be completed as a single procedure.
If the available bone is not sufficient to hold the implant stable at the time of placement, a sinus lift procedure is required first. The graft will have to mature for several months, depending upon the type of graft material used, then implants can be placed in the new bone.
Sinus Lift Procedure
The sinuses are air-filled, empty cavities lined with a thin soft-tissue membrane attached to the bone. This soft-tissue membrane needs to be lifted off the bone and the required amount of bone graft material is deposited between the membrane and the bone onto the floor of the sinus.
Osteotome technique:
When there is enough bone to hold the implant stable at the time of placement, but not enough to put the entire implant into bone, the sinus membrane can be lifted upward, the bone graft can be deposited through the opening (osteotomy) of the implant placement, and an implant can be placed at the same time, as a single procedure. This procedure is most often used when only one or two teeth are missing.
Lateral window technique:
If the available bone is not sufficient to hold the implant stable at the time of placement, a sinus lift procedure is required first. The graft will have to mature for several months, depending upon the type of graft material used, then implants can be placed in the new bone.
A small incision is made on the gum to expose the upper jawbone. A small opening is cut into the bone, the sinus membrane is then lifted upward and the bone graft material is inserted between the membrane and the bone onto the floor of the sinus. The incision is closed and the healing process begins.
The sinus graft makes it possible for many patients to have dental implants when years ago there was no other option besides wearing dentures.
A sinus augmentation is performed in Dr. Hegedus’ office, under local anesthesia or under intravenous sedation.
Under the Surgical Instructions section on this website, please read the Pre- and Post Surgical Instructions.