Salt Lake City Oral Surgery, Facial Surgery | Utah Center for Oral & Facial Surgery

Sinus Lift Procedure

Why is a Sinus Lift Needed?
With age and tooth loss, the upper jawbone shrinks and the sinus enlarges. This often prevents patients from receiving implants. The maxillary sinuses are behind your cheeks and on top of the upper teeth. These are air-filled spaces that everyone has.

Often the roots of the natural upper teeth extend up into the sinuses. When these teeth are removed, there is often just a thin wall of bone separating the sinus and the mouth. Dental implants require bone to hold them in place and sometimes the remaining bone is not enough foundation for a dental implant. The solution is a sinus graft of a sinus lift graft. 

How is the Surgery Performed?
After you are comfortably sedated, Dr Stosich carefully performs this surgery by entering the sinus from where the upper teeth used to be. The sinus membrane is then gently lifted upward and donor bone is inserted into the floor of the sinus. The floor of the sinus is the roof of the upper jaw, so after a few months of healing, the new bone becomes part of the patient’s jaw. Now dental implants are possible!