Sinus Lift

In the upper jaw are hollow air spaces commonly known as sinuses. Sinus lift, that is sometimes called "sinus augmentation", is surgery that adds some bone to an upper jaw in the area of your molars and premolars to make it taller. Jaw bone needs "height" for implant. The bone is added between the jaw and the maxillary sinuses, which are on either side of a nose. In order to make some room for the bone, the sinus membrane has to be moved upward, or "lifted." A sinus lift usually is done by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or a periodontist.

Sinus lift procedures involve bone grafting to raise the maxillary sinus, allowing to place implants and replace missing upper back teeth. Sinus lifts and implant placement may be performed simultaneously, thereby minimizing the number of surgical procedures.

These are some reasons for the sinus lift needed:

Most people who have lost teeth in their upper jaw do not have enough bone for implants to be placed. Because of the anatomy of the skull, the back of the upper jaw has less bone than the lower jaw.

Bone may have been lost because of periodontal (gum) disease.

Once teeth are gone, bone begins to be resorbed, which means "absorbed back" into the body. If teeth have been missing for a long time, not enough bone is often left for implants.

The maxillary sinus may be too close to the upper jaw for implants to be placed. The shape and the size of this sinus varies among individuals. Additionally, the sinus tend to become larger as you get old.