Sinus Lift

The maxillary sinuses are behind your cheeks and on top of the upper teeth. Sinuses are like empty rooms that have nothing in them. Some of the roots of the natural upper teeth extend up into the maxillary sinuses.

When these upper teeth are removed, there is often just a thin wall of bone separating the maxillary sinus and the mouth. Dental Implants need bone to hold them in place. When the sinus wall is very thin, it is impossible to place dental implants in this bone.

There is a solution and it’s called a sinus lift graft. Dr. Tsiokos enters the sinus from where the upper teeth used to be. The sinus membrane is then lifted upward and bone graft is inserted into the floor of the sinus. The bone becomes part of the patient’s jaw and dental implants can be inserted and stabilized in the area.

If enough bone between the upper jaw ridge and the bottom of the sinus is available to stabilize the dental implant well, sinus augmentations and implant placement can sometimes be performed as a single procedure. Otherwise, the graft will have to mature before a dental implant can be placed.