Sinus Lifts
Sinus Lifts
What is a Sinus Lift?
A sinus lift is a specific type of bone grafting (bone grafting) technique that is sometimes required If you have insufficient bone to have an implant placed in the posterior part of the maxilla (upper jaw).
Above the posterior teeth in the upper jaw is an air space in the facial skeleton called the maxillary sinus and as you age this sinus expands often enveloping the tooth roots in a process called pneumatisation. This means when the tooth is removed there is often inadequate height and width of bone to replace the tooth with the most natural feeling tooth replacement option, a dental implant. This air space has a lining in it called the Schneiderian membrane which can be elevated carefully and bone graft placed beneath it.
The attached movie files explain this process visually of how Dr John Webster can create a new solid foundation of bone to place the dental implants in a predictable way with long-term successful outcomes for you. Having a sinus lift procedure is technique sensitive and requires special training to complete in a reliable way with minimal complications. The team at the Oral Facial & Implant Centre in Toowoomba will ensure you have access to the latest techniques, instruments and grafting materials to ensure the success of your sinus lift.
How is a sinus lift performed?
There are two traditional methods for accessing the sinus cavity and elevating the membrane in order the place the bone graft material.
- Crestal Sinus Lift
- Lateral Window Sinus Lift
In both techniques the principle is the same being a small incision through the mucosa (gums) facilitates access to the remaining upper jaw bone. A window is made in this bone and the membrane inside the maxillary air sinus is elevated and the bone graft is placed.
Crestal Sinus Lift
Lateral Window Sinus Lift
How much does a Sinus Lift cost?
A Sinus Lift costs less than you think and can mean the difference between the success and failure of your dental implant investment. One key advantage of the Oral Facial & Implant Centre is that our Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Dr John Webster, is a dual qualified medical and dental specialist with access to Medicare and private health fund rebates for bone grafting procedures. Other Dentists and Specialist Dentists such as Periodontists or Prosthodontists cannot access these Medicare based rebates and have to pass the costs of the grafting materials onto you as the customer. One vial of bone substitute can cost up to $400 and in some complex grafting cases there are several vials used in conjunction with other expensive materials such as membranes used in guided bone regeneration.
If you maintain your private health insurance with hospital cover then your grafting procedures done under local or general anaesthetic in accredited day surgery or private hospital facilities can often only cost a few hundred dollars in the gap fee with the rest of the material covered by the health fund. A little known secret that alone can save you thousands of dollars if you are wanting multiple missing teeth replaced.
At the Oral Facial & Implant Centre we provide a thorough assessment of the height and bone available in your optimum dental implant location and will advise at the time of your initial consultation if you are likely to require a sinus lift procedure as part of your customised treatment plan. Dr John Webster will review your scans and dental implant plan with you and clearly explain where a bone deficiency will need to be addressed with a sinus lift procedure.
If you would like to know how we can help you further, or to book a no obligation dental implant consultation
Please phone 07 4580 4733
or alternatively request an appointment now online.
