Bone Graft / Sinus Lift

In order for a tooth implant to be successful the patient must have sufficient bone in the jaw to place the implant into. Usually the quality and quantity of bone in the jaw is reflective of how the bone healed after the tooth was removed, and not an underlying medical condition.

It was once assumed that if a patient did not have enough bone in their jaw they would not be suitable for dental implants. Today, thanks to the massive advances in dental techniques and technology patients with insufficient bone in the jaw can have the bone rebuilt using bone grafting.

Dental bone grafting

What is dental bone grafting?

Dental bone grafting is the replacement or augmentation of the bone around the teeth.

Why is a bone graft needed?

Bone grafting is performed to reverse the bone loss/destruction caused by periodontal diseases, trauma, or ill-fitting removable dentures. It is also used to augment bone to permit implant placement, such as augmenting bone in the sinus area for implant placement, or augmenting bone to enhance the fit and comfort of removable prostheses, or to enhance the esthetics of a missing tooth site in the smile zone.

Why a sinus lift is necessary?

There are some cases when there is insufficient bone to place dental implants in the upper arch at the back of the mouth.

Overtime the sinus cavity increases in size and bone loss occurs. This can often lead to insufficient bone height.

A sinus lift is a procedure that augments the bone in the upper arch where the sinuses are located; this is where the floor of the sinus cavity is at its lowest point. If there is a limited depth of bone insufficient to take an implant, the floor of the sinus cavity is lifted in order to create more depth.

A sinus lift can make the implant placement procedure possible, thus allowing people with bone loss enjoy the benefits from a long term solution to their missing or failing teeth using implants.