What you need to know before getting dental implants treated to make the surgery a success.
A sinus lift might be avoidable in particular cases
Have you been told you cannot have an implant placed because you need a sinus lift? Sinus lifts and bone augmentations are two pre-implant procedures that often go hand in hand. Often prescribed in complex cases where there is little or no jawbone to place implants. However, as implant dentists with decades of experience, we suggest popping in for a second opinion – we have specific implant treatments that can avoid bone grafts and sinus lifts altogether. But we’ll need to look at your mouth first to see what’s possible.
An understandable insight to sinus lifts
Sinus lifts are surgical procedures often recommended to patients wishing to have implants placed in their upper jaws.
Their purpose is to make room for a bone augmentation, where a bone graft is placed between the upper jaw and the membrane of sinus tissues closest to your back teeth.
Naturally, the sinus lift will fuse with the jaw, which makes it possible once again to place an implant.
Dental implants are surgically implanted into your jawbone – this often means that there needs to be an adequate amount of jawbone surrounding the implant for it to be stable, secure, and successful.
In situations where there is not enough bone to secure the implant, the chances of the implant failing are more likely.
And whilst sinus lifts might sound daunting to some, it is a common procedure which is carried out by experienced, expert dental surgeons.
- When you have periodontal gum disease
- When there are missing teeth in the upper jaw
- Reabsorption of the bone into the body after tooth loss
How much do sinus lifts cost?
Expect prices to range from £650 to £3,000.
The cost truly depends on the procedure’s complexity and the required graft size. Plus, the material of the bone graft will also be a cost consideration. Before we proceed, you can expect to receive a clear breakdown of your treatment costs once we have put together a suitable treatment plan. But before we begin, let’s book you in for an implant consultation to see what course of action will be best for your present oral condition.
Implant Dentist Dr Gurs Sehmi
BDS B.Sc (Kings College London) | GDC No. 103934
Dr Sehmi has been fitting dental implants since 2010 and has vast experience with various systems. He’s the go-to implant surgeon for patients in the UK who have lost a significant amount of bone or require more complex surgeries like sinus augmentations.
What the sinus lift procedure is like
After a clinical assessment, you might be advised that you need a sinus lift. The assessment should include 3D CBCT scans to assess the condition of your jaw to see if you will qualify for implant treatment.
Depending on the complexity of your procedure, you may need to have it performed in a hospital or usually in our practice under local anaesthetic.
Following the anaesthetic, one of our dental surgeons will cut into your gum and open a ‘window’ into the jawbone, which will reveal the sinus membrane.
From here, the new bone material will then be placed into the space between the jaw and the sinus membrane – the collagen membrane might also be fixed above the bone material to keep it firmly in place. The gum tissue will then be closed with stitches.
Patients should expect some swelling after the procedure, and some bleeding from the nose and mouth which is normal.
Some discomfort might be felt in the gum area, which is easily manageable with over-the-counter medications like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
A week after the sinus lift, you will have the stitches removed and we will check the site for the progress of your healing.
Sinus lifts usually take four to nine months for the bone graft to successfully integrate with the jawbone, so once this has healed you will be able to have your implants placed.
