Sinus Augmentation

When your posterior teeth, or back teeth such as molars, are lost due to extraction or disease, delegating their chewing job to your other teeth can cause them more stress than they can handle. In these situations, dental implants and crowns are often recommended to take care of the gap and provide a new chewing surface, but the location of the sinus in the upper posterior region is sometimes too low to make this happen efficiently. In these cases we opt for a sinus augmentation procedure, and this is a rather simple procedure that allows us to reposition the sinus floor so an implant can be safely placed.

Sinus augmentation procedures may sound complicated, but they’re actually very predictable. Studies have reported a success rate of over 95%, meaning that 95 out of every 100 patients to receive a sinus augmentation have a successful procedure and healing process. The healing process after a sinus augmentation is a longer one at around 6 to 10 months, but this is time taken to ensure the area is ready to finally receive its implant.

If a first sinus augmentation procedure was unable to produce enough bone to anchor and stabilize an implant, it may be necessary to perform a second sinus augmentation in order to effectively grow the amount of bone that is needed. Once the healing process has been completed, your dentist will be able to determine if enough bone was generated to safely hold your implant.