A sinus lift is a special kind of oral bone grafting procedure. A sinus lift usually either uses bone material taken from somewhere else in your body or synthetic bone material to replace missing bone in your upper jaw. You can have missing bone material in your upper jaw because of injury, periodontal disease, cancer, the natural effects of aging, and birth defects. This procedure is often used if you need dental implants but do not have enough bone material to support the screws that hold them in place. Sinus lifts are also often done as a part of a full facial reconstruction, such as you might need after a traumatic accident. This procedure requires special expertise, as it has more risks associated with it than other types of bone graft, such as the risk of damage to the sinus membrane. It is therefore only carried out by an oral surgeon or prosthodontist.
The sinus lift is a straightforward procedure that takes approximately two hours to perform. You will often be sedated for it. The surgeon will make an incision in your gum tissue at the back of your upper jaw, pulling it back to expose the bone. Next, they will cut a small hole in the bone so they can push up on the sinus membrane from underneath. If the membrane is accidentally torn, the procedure may need to stop to allow it to heal before continuing. Bone material is placed under the membrane. The incision is then closed up.
You may experience some bleeding and swelling after the procedure, as well as some pain and discomfort. Your surgeon will give you instructions to follow for how to take care of yourself and help keep the bone graft in place until it attaches. Your surgeon may also give you prescriptions for pain killers and antibiotics. The stitches you receive should dissolve over time, but you will still need to have one or more follow up appointments to keep track of your healing progress. You may want to spend the first day after the surgery in bed. Fully recovering from this procedure will take you several months. If you notice redness or swelling in your gums, or experience increasing pain, contact your doctor.
