Sinus Lift: why and how to use it?

When placing a dental implant, if your jawbone is not thick enough, your dentist will suggest a sinus lift. 

What is the sinus lift?

When you have a tooth that is too decayed to have a crown, the dentist must place an implant that is fixed into the jawbone after the tooth has been pulled. In order to perform this operation, he must have a minimum height of 8 mm to ensure that the implant is securely anchored.

A sinus lift is necessary when a tooth in the upper jaw is involved. The maxillary sinus is a cavity that is located above the root site of the tooth in question.

It is filled with air and its shape evolves over time. If you lose a tooth, or have it pulled out, the maxillary sinus naturally takes its place in the bone. This is the reason why we speak of pneumatization of the sinuses.

It is simply a rule that always applies : nature abhors a vacuum. When you remove a tooth, if an implant does not quickly take its root, the sinus takes over.

Since the implant must not pierce the sinus, it will be necessary to raise it (lift), then fill the cavity in order to fix it. The floor of the sinus is raised to its original height.

When does the maxillary sinus extend ?

Maxillary sinus is when a tooth is missing and has not been replaced quickly by an implant. The loss of several teeth aggravates the phenomenon, the more teeth you are missing, the more your sinus becomes comfortable.

In the case of diseases such as periodontitis, bone mass is naturally reduced. It is therefore no longer sufficient to accommodate the implant.

How does the sinus lift work ?

The sinus lift operation is performed under local anesthesia.

The dentist makes an incision in the gum and slides his tool under the sinus to pry it up. He then fills the cavity with the bone graft and closes it with a waterproof membrane. The bone graft can be a piece of bone taken from the patient or a substitute made of biomaterials.

The access can be crestal, i.e. from the gum line where the natural tooth was, or lateral, i.e. perpendicular to the implantation of the teeth. This second solution is preferred when the volume of the graft is larger.

It is then necessary to wait between 6 and 9 months for everything to stabilize before the implant can be fixed.

The sinus lift appears to be an important operation, but it is nonetheless quite common.

If your dentist suggests it, it is because there is no alternative. The cost of the procedure differs greatly from one dentist to another, especially since you have to take into account the installation of the implant that follows.

Ask your dentist for an estimate and forward it to your health insurance company to find out what you will have to pay. Social security does not reimburse the sinus lift.