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The Purpose of Sinus Lifting
The maxillary sinus is a cavity located within the cheek bone. It is a pyramid-shaped, growing space with a membrane lining the sinus called the Schneiderian Membrane. The ends of the roots of the upper back teeth are close to the maxillary sinus and in some cases, even inside of it. The maxillary sinus helps in moisturizing and heating up the air when breathing. It plays an important role in vocal resonance and diminishing the weight of the head.
It is very common to find that the softer bone in the area above the upper back teeth (molars and sometimes premolars) is very shallow and does not provide enough vertical space suitable for normal implant placement. This can be especially found in patients who had the upper back teeth missing for a long time and the floor of the maxillary sinus has fallen down close to jaw bone ridge, a natural phenomena called sinus pneumatization. To solve this problem a procedure known as a ‘sinus augmentation’ or ‘sinus lift’ was developed.
Implant Placement and Sinus Lifting
The mouth is a dynamic system. It is important to not leave edentulous (no teeth) areas untreated because the lack of chewing function and lack of support can cause further problems and worsen the oral conditions.
If the amount of bone overlying the sinus is fairly adequate, some surgeons prefer to place the implants at the same time as the grafting procedures. Whatever type of bone is added to the sinus it must be left to mature before implants are placed or brought into function. If the implants are placed as a secondary procedure, (depending on the amount of bone being grown and the nature of the graft material used), they can be inserted after 6-9 months after sinus lifting procedure. Sinus lifting procedure can be either;
Indirect in which the sinus floor is lifted at the same time of implant placement. Sometimes a bone graft material will be added to support the elevated sinus floor and provide stability to the implant. The procedure is sometimes referred to as internal sinus lifting procedure.
Direct or external sinus lifting, where implant placement is usually postponed till after bone substitute maturation. Bone may be successfully grown in the sinus spaces above your upper back teeth allowing implants to be placed. Specially treated donor bone from a ‘Bone Bank’, synthetic bone substitutes, or bone grafted from other areas of the mouth or body is placed into these empty areas. Over a period of time this is replaced by new bone thus providing a bed into which implants can be fixed.
These are just the basic sinus lifting procedures. There are many alternative techniques and modifications to these procedures that can be further explained and discussed with each patient according to the necessities of his/her condition. As with other bone grafting procedures, the implants are left to become firmly attached to the bone. Commonly a slightly extended healing period is chosen before a denture or crown and bridgework are fitted.
If you are interested in understanding more about the procedure or in need of a maxillary sinus lift procedure, please do not hesitate to call us and get an appointment with our Implant specialist at
Dr. Raed M. Abutteen Dental Center.
