Rebuild
Sinus lift
In the upper back jaw, the maxillary sinus sits directly above the tooth roots. When an upper molar has been missing for some time, the bone beneath the sinus thins — and there is not enough height left to anchor an implant.
A sinus lift raises the floor of that sinus and places grafting material beneath it, creating the bone height an implant needs. It is one of the bone grafting procedures we use, specific to this region of the mouth.
Because it involves anatomy immediately adjacent to the sinus, it is planned on three-dimensional imaging rather than a flat x-ray, and performed by a periodontist here in our Orem office.
What it changes about your timeline
A sinus lift lengthens the healing period before implants can be restored.
Standard implant healing runs 3–4 months in the lower jaw and 4–6 months in the upper. Augmenting bone, performing sinus lifts and jaw reconstruction all extend that. Healing times are related to human biology and cannot be rushed.
More on healing timesWhen it comes up
Almost always an upper back tooth
A molar missing for years
Bone that is no longer supporting a tooth reduces over time. In the upper jaw that reduction runs up against the sinus.
Teeth lost to periodontal disease
Where gum disease destroyed the supporting bone before the tooth came out, less height remains to work with.
Naturally large sinuses
Sinus anatomy varies between patients. Some people simply have less bone between the ridge and the sinus floor to begin with — which the scan shows.
Most patients have enough bone remaining to have implants placed. Where there is not, techniques exist to regenerate the amount needed — a sinus lift is one of them.
Related
Before you decide anything
A sinus lift is a means to an end — the implant. Read the implant sequence first, then ask us where your case sits.
The full implant sequenceOne scan tells you whether you need this.
Kodak 3D CT imaging is done here, at your consultation, where it is indicated.