Sinus Augmentation
Loss of posterior (back) teeth may result in excessive bite force on your remaining teeth. Fortunately, dental implants and crowns can replace these teeth. However, a patient’s sinus may be located too low to permit the proper placement of dental implants. Sinus augmentation is the procedure we use to reposition the sinus floor, creating enough space to properly anchor an implant.
Oftentimes, we insert grafting materials to encourage your bone to grow more quickly into the area, helping to stabilize the dental implant and ultimately replacing the grafting material with your own bone. Under certain conditions, an even simpler procedure is used. When possible, the bone remaining under the sinus floor is gently pushed up, thus lifting the floor of the “dropped” sinus. Grafting materials are then placed beneath this lifted bone, and replaced automatically as new bone grows into this area.
Following sufficient healing of a sinus augmentation (six to ten months), implants can be placed predictably and with confidence. It is important to realize that if the procedure does not produce sufficient bone to anchor an implant, additional bone may be regenerated through a second sinus augmentation procedure at the time of implant placement. Sinus augmentation procedures are helpful and highly predictable, with studies reporting a more than 95% success rate. At Tavormina Dentistry, we have a 100% success rate with this procedure.