Sinus-Lifting

Sinus-lifting is a procedure that may be required for implantation of teeth in the upper jaw. As you know, the upper jaw is located under the maxillary sinus. In a situation where the amount of bone tissue for implantation is not enough, the bone needs to be thickened. To do this, the doctor raises the bottom of the maxillary sinus and injects special bone material in the resulting space. It takes several months for a new bone of the needed thickness to form there, and the doctor can perform the implantation.

The sinus-lifting procedure is carried out under the conditions of effective anesthesia, or, at the request of the patient, during medication sleep (Sedation Dentistry).

Indications for sinus-lifting

• in case of bone atrophy in the tissue after the tooth extraction procedure (if the tooth is absent, there is no pressure on the bone and it gradually decreases);
• with insufficient bone thickness due to the specific anatomical structure;
• with age-related changes (over the years, the maxillary sinuses are enlarged, and the bone becomes thinner and unable to hold implants).

Types of sinus lifting

• closed sinus-lifting is the least traumatic method: the procedure lasts about 10-15 minutes and is performed in simple clinical cases when the bone is not less than 7 mm thick, and a small hole is made in the gum for the operation;
• an open sinus-lifting lasts about an hour and is necessary when the bone thickness is less than 7 mm: a hole is drilled in the wall of the maxillary sinus, the doctor removes the bottom of the maxillary sinus through it, and the resulting hole is filled with artificial or natural bone tissue. After 4-6 months the own bone is formed.

Peculiarities of sinus-lifting

• after the procedure, the patient may experience swelling on the face, which disappears within a few days;
• within 3-4 weeks after surgery, the patient must comply with all recommendations of the surgeon in order to avoid the complications.