Bone reconstruction with the sinus lift method – in case of lack of bone in the jaw
There are several causes of reduced bone mass.
In the upper jaw, the cause is most often that the sinus (maxillary sinus) enlarges with age. To address this problem, the sinus lift method can be used, where the sinus is gently lifted and bone substitute material is added.
Another cause of reduced bone mass may be that the bone recedes after an extraction.
In the lower jaw, the issue is most often the thickness of the bone and the underlying nerve (Nervus Mandibularis).
Bone building
When building bones, we use a biocompatible material called Bio-Oss, which the body easily assimilates. Through this, new bones are formed, which are required for the planned the implant treatment.
The sinus lift method can be simply described as opening a window in the mouth all the way to the sinus. The sinus is lined with soft tissue along the walls of the sinus cavity. The tissue is movable and can therefore be used like a kind of tent. This tent is filled with Bio-Oss while the window is closed.
This is followed by a healing period of at least 6 months. After successful healing, implants can then be placed. Even after a normal tooth extraction, immediate bone grafting is sometimes recommended to enable an even better implant treatment.
With the help of an X-ray, we can in most cases assess the need for bone grafting before treatment. However, certain factors only become apparent when the bone is exposed during the implant procedure itself. If the bone volume is insufficient, we either perform a sinus lift in combination with an implant, or we begin with the bone build-up and, once everything has healed, the implant treatment itself is carried out.