What is a sinus lift?

A. What is a sinus lift/graft? This is a very similar procedure to bone grafting in that donor bone is used to build up an area of the jawbone which is considered to thin for implants.In this case, the upper jawbone is the area to be treated. The upper jaw is usually thinner than the lower which makes it more difficult to insert dental implants.Why? Just above your upper teeth are your maxillary sinuses, which are basically air spaces in your jaw. And, very often there is only a thin wall of bone separating the sinuses from your teeth.

Think of the sinus wall (or rear maxilla) as the roof of your upper jaw. If this sinus wall is too thin then it is impossible to insert a dental implant as there is no solid foundation to hold it in place. The maxillary jaw (upper) will need to be built up via a bone graft in order to retain an implant.

Previously, if you had advanced bone loss then your only option was dentures but thanks to new grafting techniques, implants are now an option. The dentist can bulk out the sinus wall by lifting the sinus membrane and then grafting donor bone onto the sinus wall.

This will increase the depth and width of the sinus wall in preparation for the implants. The sinus wall will be given time to heal (osseointegration) before a second procedure insertion of the implants.

This graft can be performed as an autogenous graft.