Skip site navigation
If teeth are missing from the back of the top jaw, there is no stimulation to keep the bone from resorbing. The bone area shrinks because there is a slightly higher pressure in the sinus and the sinus will enlarge with time.
The sinus lift procedure involves gently raising the membrane lining the sinus with various instruments.
The sinus is then partially filled with a bone substitute. Many different options are used. This bone acts like a matrix and encourages bone to grow in between the spaces. It is also resorbed and eventually replaced by the patient’s own bone.
The bone area becomes more and more like the patient's original bone with time. Eventually the bone will become 100% the patient’s own bone.
Dental implants may be placed either at the same time as the sinus lift procedure or at a later date. This decision will depend on the thickness of the patient’s natural bone below the sinus.