Minimally Invasive Sinus Augmentation

Have you been informed that you may need a mini-sinus lift? If the answer is yes, then you are not alone. At least one in every five people will have to undergo a sinus lift procedure before their dental implants can be inserted.

A sinus lift merely is adding bone to your upper jaw, and this process is also known as a “sinus floor augmentation procedure.” In cases where there is not enough bone to hold dental implants, a sinus lift is required to provide support for dental implants’ placement.

Patients who require a sinus lift or augmentation before having dental implants placed are mostly those who have lost teeth in the jaw’s upper premolar or molar areas. The tooth loss can be attributed to the condition in which the bone in the area where teeth naturally go missing starts to shrink with time. It’s either because the bone’s vertical height is not sufficient to support an implant, or the root of the tooth developed very close to or within the sinus cavity.

Due to bone loss, the sinuses can expand to occupy the vacant space where the bone used to be, and with the lack of sufficient bone to help secure dental implant, the need for a sinus lift to move the sinus away from the root of the teeth or to create additional bone in the area arise.

Do You Need a Sinus Lift?

The need for a sinus lift arises when there is insufficient bone in the upper jaw to allow space for dental implants. This usually occurs when the maxillary sinus increases in size with age and is too close to the upper jaw for the implant to be used.

If you lost your teeth a long time ago, you likely require a sinus lift procedure. Immediately after a tooth is lost, bone atrophy starts occurring, and if teeth have been missing for quite some time, there is not enough sufficient bone left to place a dental implant, and the need for sinus lift or augmentation arises.