Imagine you’ve gone in for a dental implant consultation at Fine Dental Care. Once we’ve taken the CBCT scan and performed the oral examination, we can determine if you’re eligible for implant treatment! However, Dr. Fine in Wayne, NJ, may tell you that before your implant procedure, you’ll need to undergo a sinus lift procedure. Your heart skips a beat in your chest. Sinus lift? But what does that mean?
While a sinus lift may sound scary, it’s actually simpler than you’d think! During your free implant consultation, we will discuss your sinus lift procedure and ensure that you’re informed and ready to restore your smile!
The Purpose of a Sinus Lift
Upon first hearing the phrase, many patients like you assume that a sinus lift involves altering the sinuses in some significant way. However, the procedure focuses more on your upper jawbone than your sinuses themselves.
After tooth loss, your jawbone will gradually lose mass and volume, shrinking over time. In your upper jaw, this creates a thinner layer of bone, making it much more difficult to restore missing teeth. Your sinuses, or large air-filled structures that sit beside your nose, may fill the area where you’re missing bone, slowly shifting downwards.
This makes replacing lost teeth with implants challenging, as these titanium screws require a substantial amount of jawbone to secure. Without ample bone, the implant can’t stabilize, and we risk puncturing your membrane!
Fortunately, Fine Dental Care in Wayne, NJ, offers sinus lifts! These procedures help move your sinuses out of the way while focusing on rebuilding the lost bone in your jaw.
Sinus Lift Procedure
During your free consultation, Dr. Fine will determine both the quantity and quality of your jawbone. Depending on the amount of bone loss you experience, we will use one of two sinus lift approaches.
Elevación directa de seno
For those with severe bone loss, we will likely use a direct sinus lift.
This procedure involves creating a window in your jawbone, which allows us to access your sinus membrane directly. Using specialized dental tools, we will gently push your membrane upwards and out of the way. Then, we fill the now-empty space with bone grafting material, facilitating bone growth in your jaw.
Because it involves cutting into your jawbone, a direct sinus lift requires at least 3 to 6 months of healing before we can place a implante dental. While you may experience some pain or discomfort after the procedure, it’s usually manageable using over-the-counter medications.
Once your jawbone is healed, we place your dental implants in your jaw to secure a corona, puente, or denture restoration.
Elevación de seno indirecta
For patients with less severe bone loss, we’re able to use an indirect sinus lift!
Also known as a sinus bump, this procedure is much less invasive. Instead of creating a window in your upper jawbone, we can drill a hole through your gums, directly where your dental implant will be placed.
Then, using specialized tools, we lift your membrane upwards and fill the space with bone grafting material. Due to this less invasive process, your jawbone will heal much faster!
Instead of waiting months to secure dental implants in your bone, we may be able to place implants immediately after your sinus bump! These implants secure in your bone, both replacing missing teeth and keeping your jawbone healthy.
Experience the Mini Implant Difference
At Fine Dental Care, we use two kinds of dental implants.
Conventional dental implants are large and require a substantial amount of jawbone structure to secure. In contrast, miniimplantes dentales are much smaller, and often stabilize even in minimal bone!
In some cases, using mini dental implants allows pacientes como tú in Wayne, NJ, to skip the sinus lift, eliminating the need for additional procedures. However, when you do need to rebuild bone, mini implants often allow us to use the less invasive sinus bump, resulting in much faster healing.
While not everyone is eligible for mini dental implants, those who are benefit from numerous advantages due to their small design and structure.
Get Ready to Restore Your Smile at Fine Dental Care in Wayne, NJ!
If you discover that you need a sinus lift during your free consultation in Wayne, NJ, trust Fine Dental Care with your smile. Using either a direct or indirect sinus lift, we can rebuild your jawbone and secure dental implants to restore your smile. Additionally, using mini implants, we may be able to use a sinus bump instead, allowing for faster healing.
Reserve una consulta gratuita sobre implantes today to discover if you need a sinus lift!
Síguenos en Facebook y Instagram to explore what implant-supported restoration we provide.