Learn more about our Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Sinus Lift Procedures below…

Patients who experienced lost teeth in the upper premolar or molar areas of the jaw often require a sinus lift, or sinus augmentation, in order to have dental implants placed. This is due to circumstances in which the bone in the area where teeth are missing naturally begins to shrink or resorb over time, the roots of the teeth were originally positioned either very close to or within the sinus cavity, or the vertical height of the bone is not sufficient enough to support an implant. Due to the result of bone loss, the sinuses can expand to occupy the empty space where the bone used to be. With insufficient bone to securely place a dental implant, a sinus lift procedure would be necessary to move the sinus away from the roots of the teeth and create additional bone in the area.

There are two forms of sinus lift procedures. The form that you receive depends upon the patient’s individual needs and the amount of bone that is present.

Before the procedure begins, a local anesthetic is administered to numb the site. In one form of the sinus lift procedure, the doctor will create a small opening in the bone to access the sinus cavity. Using a small instrument, the doctor will gently lift the sinus into a more favorable position. This will help to encourage natural bone growth to fill the space created, but a bone grafting material is often placed beneath the newly raised sinus cavity along the existing bone. The grafting material will then mesh with your existing bone, thus creating more bone.

A second form of the sinus lift procedure involves gaining access to the sinus cavity through an opening created in the bone. Bone will be grafted to the floor of the sinus to increase the bone height. The sinus is not actually lifted in this case, but rather filled in a bit to increase the bone to a proper thickness that can support an implant.

Patients will require an estimated four and nine months to heal completely from the sinus lift procedure before dental implants can be placed. Increase in the bone will compensate for bone that has been lost or was not present to begin with and will allow for one or more implants to be placed. If this procedure was not completed, some patients will not qualify for dental implants in the upper premolar or molar regions of the mouth.