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Sinus is the term given to anatomical cavities that exist within our body.There is one in the region of the cheek bone that is termed the Maxillary Sinus.

Our upper teeth especially the back ones often have their roots dipping into or in close proximity to the maxillary sinus. The natural response to tooth loss is a shrinkage in the amount of bone existing around the tooth that was, this means that if an upper tooth is lost there is a decrease in the height of bone beneath the sinus. In such a situation if the patient wants Implants it becomes impossible to insert the implant in such a diminished height of bone, thereby necessitating such a procedure that would restore the bone height.

This procedure is what we term as a sinus-lift. It is a very specialized procedure carried out under strict asepsis. Implants may be inserted at the same stage or at a later date depending on the situation.

The procedure involves placement of a bone graft that may be obtained from the patients body or may be synthetic bone substitutes.

The surgery lasts around 1-2 hours & may be carried out under Local / General anesthesia. Normal activity may be resumed from the third day onwards.

The entire procedure is carried out from inside the mouth & there is no visible scar on the face, nor does it alter the facial topography in any way.There are generally no attending post-operative complications if all the given instructions are followed.

A sinus lift is done when there is not enough bone in the upper jaw, or the sinuses are too close to the jaw, for dental implants to be placed. There are several reasons for this:

• Many people who have lost teeth in their upper jaw — particularly the molars teeth — do not have enough bone for implants to be placed. Because of the anatomy of the skull, the back of the upper jaw has less bone than the lower jaw.
• Once teeth are gone, bone begins to be resorbed (absorbed back into the body). If teeth have been missing for a long time, there often is not enough bone left to place implants.
• The maxillary sinus may be too close to the upper jaw for implants to be placed. The shape and the size of this sinus varies among individuals. In addition, the sinus can get larger as you age.
• Bone may have been lost because of periodontal (gum) disease.

Dental implants have gained popularity for treating edentulism, but some patients develop jaw atrophy, which leaves insufficient bone for implants. To treat these patients, the sinus lift procedure, which augments bone, was developed. Altered anatomy from this procedure has an unusual radiographic appearance, confusing those unfamiliar with it. We describe the sinus lift procedure and its radiographic appearance.

Procedure

The oral surgeon will cut the gum tissue near your premolars and molars. 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 material are then packed into the space where the sinus was. The amount of bone used will vary, but usually several millimeters of bone is added above the jaw.

Once the bone is in place, the tissue is stitched closed. Your implants will be placed four to nine months later, depending on the graft material that was used. This allows time for the grafted material to mesh with your bone.