In the back of the upper jaw, above the tooth roots, lies the maxillary sinus.
After the loss of back teeth, the remaining bone height between the mouth and the sinus can be so limited that an implant cannot be anchored securely in the existing bone.
In such cases, a sinus lift can create the space needed for bone grafting.
What exactly is lifted?
It is not the entire sinus that is lifted. What matters is its thin lining – the so-called Schneiderian membrane.
This membrane is carefully detached from the bony floor of the sinus and gently raised. Bone or bone substitute material can then be placed in the newly created space.
Internal and external sinus lift
If only a limited amount of additional bone is needed, access through the implant site may be possible under certain conditions.
For larger deficits, a lateral access to the sinus is often chosen.
Which method is suitable depends in particular on the remaining bone height and your anatomy.
Implant at the same time or later?
If there is still enough of your own bone to place the implant with sufficient stability, the sinus lift and implant placement can sometimes be carried out in a single session.
Where very little bone is available, the grafting can be done first. Once it has healed, the implant is placed.