A dental implant or an implant system like All-on-4® can transform your dental health, restoring your bite and preventing a number of negative outcomes. To move forward with dental implants, however, you have to have enough healthy bone tissue to anchor the post portion of the implant.
That’s where a sinus lift comes in. At Cannon Oral Surgery, we perform sinus lift procedures at our Chattanooga, Tennessee, office. We’re proud to help those in our care prepare for dental implants and all they have to offer.
So, what exactly is a sinus lift, and what is the process for getting one? Let’s take a closer look.
All dental implants rely on a metal post that is implanted into your jawbone. This post replaces the root portion of your natural tooth and creates a secure attachment that can last a lifetime. But for your implants to properly fuse to your bone tissue, you have to have sufficient bone in place from the beginning.
If you’ve been living with one or more missing teeth for a long period of time, your body has likely begun to reabsorb some of the bone that once held your natural tooth in place. This leaves you with less bone density in the exact area where your implant needs to be placed. Advanced gum disease can also weaken your bone tissue.
A sinus lift is a specialized type of bone grafting that’s performed on your upper jaw. The process involves carefully raising (or “lifting”) the membrane that separates your sinuses from your oral cavity.
When you arrive for your sinus lift, a local anesthetic injection numbs the treatment area. You’ll remain numb from start to finish, so there’s no need to worry about pain during the procedure.
Dr. Cannon begins by creating an incision in your gums to access the underlying bone. He then creates a small circular cut in the bone tissue before carefully lifting that round piece of bone upward into the sinus cavity space.
Next, Dr. Cannon places bone grafting material into the space created from this lifting process. The last step is to close the incision.
One way to think about bone grafting is to envision the graft material as creating a scaffold in the graft site. Over the following months, your body will begin building natural bone tissue to fill the spaces within that scaffolding. As more natural bone develops, the grafting material is gradually absorbed by your body, leaving a strong bone structure in place.
It’s difficult to provide an exact timeline for a sinus lift and dental implants. But patience is a critical part of the process. Just as you didn’t lose your natural bone tissue overnight, it also takes time to build new bone tissue.
In general, expect to wait at least several months after your sinus lift before moving ahead with dental implants. Everyone’s body responds to bone grafting differently, so you may need additional time.
The wait is well worth it. A properly healed sinus lift can provide a foundation for strong, secure dental implants that can last a lifetime. There’s no benefit to rushing the process, so be prepared to give your body the time it needs to work its magic.
If you’d like to learn more about how a sinus lift can improve your dental implant experience, we’re happy to set aside some time to sit down with you and discuss the process in more detail. Just reach out to Cannon Oral Surgery by phone to see what’s available, or give our simple online booking tool a try.