What does a sinus lift involve?

[Arrves]

As part of my implant procedure I will be needing a sinus lift. I have been told this is an essential part of the process which I have accepted but I do not understand what it is and why I need to have it. The guy tried to explain to me what it was but I really wasn’t taking much in at the time as I was feeling quite unwell. I was hoping that you might be able to give me the laymans version of what it is and why it would be that I need it. I hope this isn’t too much trouble for you. I will be going ahead regardless but would be nice to know. Thanks.

[Sharon]

Hello,
Thank you for your post.
A sinus lift is needed when there is not enough stable or usable bone in the top arch where the implants are to be fitted. Without a strong base to fit the implants to they will not be anchored correctly and will fail. This is a vital part of the process. Therefore, a dentist can perform a sinus lift to create a usable anchor point for the implants to be screwed into. The sinus lift involves implanting bone (usually from a bovine source or from the roof of the mouth) into the top arch to give the clinician an extra few millimetres of bone to secure the screws to. This process will take several months to achieve as the bone needs to have time to meld and merge with the existing bone. You could probably expect it to add around nine months onto the treatment time. However, it would not be possible without it. Best of luck to you.