Use of Bone Replacement in Implant Procedures
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Sinus Lift Bone Replacement Procedure

One common type of bone replacement is called a Sinus Lift Bone Replacement Procedure. Here is a detailed description:

Sinus Lift Bone Replacement Procedure:

Procedure 1. “Lateral Window or Traditional Approach”

This common procedure and relatively painless procedure is only used to replace upper back teeth. 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 bone graft or sinus lift. In this common procedure we enter the sinus from where the upper teeth used to be. The sinus membrane is then lifted upward and about a teaspoon of bone is inserted into the sinus. In many cases, the implants are placed at the same time. After several months of healing, the bone becomes part of the patient’s jaw and teeth can be placed on the implants.