What Is a Sinus Bone Augmentation?
A healthy mouth boosts your confidence, and the healthiest mouths have strong, functional teeth. If you lose a tooth, a dental implant is an effective and natural-looking replacement that can help you regain your beautiful smile.
However, to ensure a successful dental implant in the back of your upper jaw, you may also need a sinus bone augmentation.
Ramesh K. Sunar, DMD, specializes in implant dentistry at Charlotte Dental Implant Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. He evaluates your dental concerns and needs, and can help you understand the process of receiving a dental implant and sinus bone augmentation.
Anatomy of your jaw
It’s hard to downplay the important role your jaw plays in your overall health and well-being. Aside from providing structure for your face and mouth, the functioning of your jaw allows you to properly bite and chew your food, and the movement of your jaw is also part of how you speak.
Anatomically, the back of the upper jaw usually has less bone than the lower jaw does, and it’s common for the maxillary sinuses on either side of your nose to be located close to the upper jaw. Both of these situations occur naturally. However, some factors contribute to loss of bone in your upper jaw over time, such as periodontal disease or tooth loss.
You may wonder why the bone structure of your upper jaw is so important. If you ever need a dental implant in that location, there needs to be appropriate bone height for the implant to be placed properly. This is how a sinus bone augmentation comes into play.
Purpose of a sinus bone augmentation
If Dr. Sunar suggests a dental implant as the best solution to replacing your missing teeth, he may schedule you for a sinus bone augmentation first. He evaluates the height and width of your jaw and health of your sinus through X-rays or scans.
A sinus bone augmentation, also called a sinus lift, adds height and structure to the back of the upper jaw. It ensures better bone quantity and quality for a successful dental implant.
It’s an important procedure, especially since effective dental implants contribute significantly to the health of your mouth and can have numerous benefits including:
Replacing missing teeth
Supporting the structure of the jaw
Mimicking the look of natural teeth
Lasting decades or longer
What to expect during a sinus bone augmentation procedure
The sinus bone augmentation process ultimately allows Dr. Sunar to add bone to the back of your upper jaw by lifting your sinus cavity to make more room.
He first cuts through the gums in the area of your missing tooth, then raises the tissue to expose the bone. Next, Dr. Sunar cuts a small window in the bone so he can gently push up the membrane of your sinus, making room for bone graft material that adds height above your upper jaw. He then closes the tissue with stitches.
To help ensure your comfort during this sinus bone augmentation, Dr. Sunar places you under general anesthesia.
Recovery and results
You can expect only a little discomfort after your sinus bone augmentation, but make sure to follow all of Dr. Sunar’s instructions for recovery, which may include saline or medications.
After about a week, Dr. Sunar sees you again to remove the stitches and evaluate the healing in the area of your surgery. It usually takes several months for the bone graft to integrate and harden within your jawbone. Then Dr. Sunar can start your dental implants.
The results of the process are a stronger jawbone with an effective, natural-looking, and long-lasting dental implant to replace a missing tooth.
If you want more information about the sinus bone augmentation process, contact Dr. Sunar at Charlotte Dental Implant Center today. You can call or request an appointment online.