Dental Articles
Sinus Augmentation (Lift)
In the region of the sixth tooth on each side of the upper jaw, is where the floor of the sinus cavity is at its lowest point. If there is limited depth of bone, which is insufficient to take an implant, then the floor of the sinus cavity has to be lifted in order to create more depth. Accurate measurements obtained from 3D CT scans are imperative before it will be known if sinus lifts are indeed required, since a 2D panoral scan cannot see a cross sectional view of the jawbone/sinuses in this area.
Lateral Window Method: This involves creating a flap in the cartilage that divides the sinuses from the oral cavity, and opening a lateral window. The floor of the sinuses cavities has a membrane, which is lifted up using special probes, in order to insert bone substitute material along the bottom of the sinus cavity floor. Sufficient of this bone substitute in inserted until the depth required has been achieved. The sinus membrane is then lowered, and this keeps the bone substitute in place until it has osseointegrated completely with the natural bone. A collagen membrane is inserted and then the flap is then sutured. It can take as long as eight months to achieve complete osseointegration. The process cannot be speeded up, and the patient just has to wait before an implant can be placed. Special training is needed to undertake this procedure.
Osteotome Method: This method is also known as the Summer’s Method, named after the first person to pioneer this procedure. Access to the sinus cavity is through the empty tooth socket, where a tooth has been lost or where it has been recently extracted. The bone is drilled out partially and then a punch is inserted to push the bone in the floor of the sinuses upwards, thus creating the depth required to insert an implant. Very often an osteotome sinus lift is immediately followed by the placement of an implant, so that the whole process is shortened by several months. Special training is needed to undertake this procedure.