We recover the height and volume of the upper jaw, we restore your oral health.
In patients who have suffered a major infection, an accident or who are simply 40 years of age or older and have had upper tooth loss, we usually find little bone, due to bone retraction and resorption, in order to place titanium dental implants, crowns or caps over those implants with conventional dental implantology techniques.
This loss or even almost total absence of bone in the upper jaw causes a loss of height and thickness of the maxillary bone, forcing us to perform some technique of augmentation or bone grafting to ensure the success of treatment with dental implants over the years.
This bone reconstruction treatment of the upper jaw is known as maxillary sinus lift and is routinely performed in our dental clinics in Barcelona and Ibiza.
To make a correct diagnosis it is essential to have a dental CT scan that includes the maxillary sinuses and nostrils. A history of sinusitis, frequent colds or allergies may prompt us to consult with an ENT specialist to check the condition of the maxillary sinuses.
What does sinus lift consist of?
Maxillary sinus lift is an advanced oral surgery technique that we perform in our operating rooms, since the maxillary sinus is a sterile area close to the brain and in an area that can be problematic.
The sinus lift procedure takes about 30 minutes in which an incision is made in the gum about 3 cm long. We make a window in the bone 1 cm long and 7 millimeters high, then we separate the maxillary sinus membrane upwards and create the necessary space to place the particulate bone and dental implants if the case allows us to do so. Once the particulate bone and dental implants are placed inside the maxillary sinus, a resorbable collagen membrane is placed to reduce the resorption of the bone introduced inside the maxillary sinus.
You can see all this procedure in this multimedia that you can find in youtube, do not worry because you will not see blood or any aggressive image.
What should I do after a sinus lift?
After this procedure the affected alveolar bone area will swell slightly for a couple of days but it will not hurt because anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs are administered.
It is necessary to follow the usual care of any oral implantology intervention and also other specific care such as do not submerge the nose under water, not to fly since the low atmospheric pressure that exists in commercial airplanes could cause the particulate bone graft to spread throughout the maxillary sinus and finally blowing the nose without exerting a great deal of pressure.
How is sinus lift follow-up?
It is necessary to wait about 6 months for the body to incorporate the bone graft, to calcify it sufficiently and to create an osseointegration with the dental implant we have placed.
Warning signs include small particles coming out of the nose, nasal bleeding or pain on palpation of the operated area.
Despite using the best possible bone graft, it has been shown that 2 years later there is still grafted bone and partially ossified alveolar bone in the maxillary sinus.
During 6 months we make bimonthly controls with an orthopantomography type radiography or dental CT scan in the postoperative period, at 3 and 6 months after the intervention.
Steps to be followed for bone grafting
It is important to remember that, although this procedure may cause patients some discomfort, it only adds 10 to 20 minutes to the overall process. In addition, it is painless and we provide the patient with the necessary medication.
After the diagnosis and with the tests performed since the first visit, we evaluate the amount of bone needed. With the free Dental CT scan, we determine the extent of the injury and how much bone needs to be regenerated.
Then, we extract the bone to be grafted, either from the patient, from a human or animal donor, or artificial bone. The surgeon makes a small incision in the area where bone implantation is needed and places the graft. It is fixed so that it does not move and is covered with a special membrane to prevent the implant from being lost. Finally, a suture is placed to close the area and prevent saliva from affecting the postoperative period.
Subsequent recovery is quite rapid. Depending on the specific needs of the patient and the type of graft, it can take three to four months and up to six months if it is an animal donor.
You can consult us about this and other questions regarding implantology and bone reconstruction in our centers in Barcelona and Ibiza. Ask for an appointment without obligation and we will answer all your questions about our treatments.
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