A sinus lift is surgery that includes bone to your upper jaw in the area of your molars and premolars. It’s in some cases called a sinus enhancement. The bone is added in between your jaw and the maxillary sinuses, which are on either side of your nose. To make room for the bone, the sinus membrane needs to be moved upward, or “raised.” A sinus lift typically is done by a specialist. This could be either an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or a periodontist.
Sinus lift surgery can help correct this issue by raising the sinus floor and developing bone for the placement of dental implants. Several strategies can be used to raise the sinus and permit new bone to form. In one common strategy, a cut is made to expose the bone. Then a small circle is cut into the bone. This bony piece is raised into the sinus cavity, similar to a trap door, and the space underneath is filled with bone graft product. Your periodontist can discuss your choices for graft products, which can restore lost bone and tissue.
Why Is Sinus Lift Surgery Done?
A sinus lift is done when there is insufficient bone height in the upper jaw, or the sinuses are too near to the jaw, for dental implants to be positioned. There are a number of factors for this:
- Lots of people who have actually lost teeth in their upper jaw– particularly the back teeth, or molars – do not have enough bone for implants to be positioned. Since of the anatomy of the skull, the back of the upper jaw has less bone than the lower jaw.
- Bone might have been lost since of gum disease.
- Missing teeth may have caused a loss of bone also. Once teeth are gone, bone begins to be resorbed (absorbed back into the body). If teeth have been missing for a very long time, there often is insufficient bone left to put implants.
- Missing teeth may have resulted in a loss of bone too. As soon as teeth are gone, bone begins to be resorbed (taken in back into the body). If teeth have been missing out on for a long period of time, there frequently is not enough bone delegated place implants.
- The maxillary sinus might be too close to the upper jaw for implants to be positioned. The shape and the size of this sinus varies from person to individual. The sinus likewise can get bigger as you age.
Sinus lifts have become common during the last 15 years as more people get dental implants to change missing teeth.
Preparation for Sinus Lift Surgery
The bone used in a sinus lift might originate from your very own body (autogenous bone), from a cadaver (allogeneic bone) or from cow bone (xenograft).
If your own bone will be used in the sinus lift, it will be taken from other areas of your mouth or body. In some cases, the surgeon removes bone from your hip or tibia (the bone underneath the knee).
You will require X-rays taken prior to your sinus lift so the dental expert can study the anatomy of your jaw and sinus. You likewise may require a special type of computed tomography (CT) scan. This scan will allow the dental professional to accurately determine the height and width of your existing bone and to examine the health of your sinus.
If you have seasonal allergic reactions, you ought to arrange the procedure when they are not active.
Sinus Lift Surgery Procedure
Your surgeon will cut the gum tissue where your back teeth used to be. The tissue is raised, exposing the bone. A small, oval window is opened in the bone. The membrane lining the sinus on the other side of the window separates your sinus from your jaw. This membrane is gently pushed up and away from your jaw.
Granules of bone-graft product are then loaded into the space where the sinus was. The amount of bone used will differ, but generally several millimeters of bone is added above the jaw.
When the bone remains in place, the tissue is closed with stitches. Your implants will be placed four to nine months later on. This enables time for the grafted material to fit together with your bone. The amount of time depends upon the quantity of bone needed.
After Sinus Lift Surgery
After the procedure, you may have some swelling of the area. You may bleed from your mouth or nose. Do not blow your nose or sneeze powerfully. Either one might cause the bone-graft product to move, and loosen up the stitches.
Your dental expert may provide you saline sprays to keep the inner lining of your nose damp and recommend medicine to prevent blockage and swelling. You likewise will be given pain medicine, an antibiotic and an antimicrobial mouthwash to assist prevent infection. Many patients have just a little discomfort after a sinus-lift procedure.
You will see the professional after 7 to 10 days. He or she will assess the surgical site and eliminate stitches if they will not liquify on their own. You might be asked to return a couple of more times to make sure the area is healing properly.
After a sinus lift, you have to wait a number of months for the bony product to solidify and integrate with your jaw. Depending upon the grafting material used, implants might be positioned in four to nine months.
Some specialists have actually started using proteins called growth elements to assist the new bone harden quicker. Platelet-rich plasma, which includes the growth aspects, is drawn from your blood before surgery and mixed with the graft that is placed into your sinus. Human-recombinant bone morphogenetic protein is a crafted protein that is now available. It stimulates bone development without implanting. The United States Food and Drug Administration has authorized its use during a sinus lift procedure.
Risks and Complications of Sinus Lift Surgery
The main risk of a sinus lift is that the sinus membrane could be punctured or torn. If the membrane is torn during the procedure, the surgeon will either stitch the sinus tear or put a spot over it. If the repair work is not effective, your surgeon may stop the procedure and offer the hole time to recover.
Your dental professional can renovate the sinus lift once the membrane has actually recovered. This normally takes a couple of months. A recovered membrane has the tendency to be thicker and more powerful, which suggests a 2nd attempt at a sinus lift is most likely to be successful. Nevertheless, other aspects likewise impact success.
Infection is a risk of any surgery. Nevertheless, this rarely occurs after sinus lifts.
On unusual events, the existing bone does not incorporate with the bony graft material, and the implanted area does not establish a blood supply. If this happens, any implants positioned in this area will fail since there is no live bone for them to connect to. If this happens, you can have the sinus lift procedure repeated.
Cost of Sinus Lift Surgery
The average cost of a sinus augmentation (sinus lift surgery) varies from $1600 to $2400 per side of the mouth. So if you need sinus lifts on both sides of your upper jaw, anticipate to pay between $3200 and $4800.
After around 3-6 months, you need to have recovered enough to have your dental implant(s) put which normally cost $1000 to $3000 each.
Factors That Affect the Cost
- Type of bone used (patient’s own bone, cadaver, cow, artificial, and so on).
- Shapes and size of the area being dealt with.
- Extra procedures such as X-rays ($ 50-$ 200) & CT scans ($ 300-$ 900).
- Extra costs may include antibiotics to be taken prior to surgery and/or pain medication and an antihistamine after surgery.
Sinus Lift Surgery Recovery and Post-Procedure Care
After a sinus lift, it will take around 3 to 6 months for the included bone to end up being one with your sinus flooring bone. Depending on the implanting product used, implants may be placed after 4 to 9 months.
It is normal to experience swelling, pain and minor bleeding from your nose and mouth after the surgery. You will need to bite down for around half an hour on a gauze pad to help stop the bleeding. Change the gauze pad as needed during this time as the bleeding gradually slows.
It is normal for bruising to establish near the surgery site. Have non-prescription pain relief ready to deal with any discomfort. An ice bag is also valuable in reducing pain and swelling the first day or more after surgery.
Your oral surgeon might prescribe antibiotics and mouth wash to assist prevent infection. Strategy to relax instantly after the surgery. You ought to be able to go back to work after 2 or 3 days of recovery.
You will not have the ability to brush or floss the area for the first week after surgery, however it is important to carefully look after rest of your teeth. Choose soft, easy-to-eat foods for the first few days and chew on the opposite side. Avoid consuming difficult or crunchy foods as these could irritate the area around the bone graft. Prevent hot foods for the first number of days, however after that you ought to be able to start consuming warm foods again.
It is essential to prevent blowing your nose or sneezing forcefully for two to three weeks and you might be recommended or recommended to purchase a nasal spray, decongestant or other medication to help prevent this. Preventing laborious physical activity for at least a week is also suggested. Any of these could cause the graft product to move and loosen the stitches.
Your oral surgeon will see you once again 7 to 10 days after surgery to make sure the area healing effectively and remove stitches that do not dissolve by themselves.
When To Call a Professional
After a sinus lift, contact your surgeon if:
- Any swelling or pain worsens over time. (It needs to reduce after the first two days or so.).
- The bleeding does not stop after one to two days.
- Bleeding is brilliant red and continuous. (Normal bleeding after this procedure oozes gradually and is dark red with possible embolisms.).
- You think the bony product might have been dislodged after sneezing or blowing your nose.
- Pain does not decrease over time.
- You develop a fever.
