More people have been opting in for dental implants over the past decade. That is the reason for sinus lift gaining prominence. Are you unsure about sinus lift surgery? Are there questions in your mind? In this article, we have addressed the relevant facts associated with a sinus lift. Having all the details can make it easy for you to arrive at an informed decision and prepare for the sinus lift.

Understanding the sinus lift

The sinus lift, also called sinus augmentation, can be defined as a surgery that helps place dental implants. Some people require dental implants but lack sufficient bone support, which is crucial for implants owing to bone loss. Here you can say yes to the sinus lift as it can help in maximizing the bone in your upper jaw. It’s done by adding more bone to the space between the premolars and molars. And if you wish to make ample room for the bone, it is necessary for the sinus membrane to get lifted or moved upward, which justifies the name of the surgery. The process gets conducted by an expert periodontist or oral maxillofacial surgeon, who can manage the sinus lifts. To know more, you can check out a Flatiron general dentist.

How to know that you require a sinus lift?

It is possible for the dentist to face difficulty in placing the dental implant as there might not be ample bone height on your upper jaw. It could also happen that the sinuses are very close to the jaw because of which the dentist might suggest you a sinus lift. Are you thinking about the reasons that can lead to bone loss? If yes, then the following can be your reason:

  • The reabsorption of the bone inside the body after a tooth loss
  • The periodontal gum ailment
  • Losing any teeth on the upper jaw

What needs to take place prior to the sinus lift surgery?

When you have sinus lift surgery, the dental professional needs to decide where they can attain the added bone. The common kinds of bone that get used for a sinus lift surgery are:

  • Xenograft, which is bone sourced from a cow
  • Autogenous bone means bone that belongs to your body
  • Allogenic bone refers to the bone from the cadaver

When the bone gets sourced from your body, chances are it gets taken from various other areas of the body and mouth. For this, it is essential to get an X-ray, which enables the dental specialist or the surgeon to analyze the jaw structure and the sinuses and to understand all that you require for the surgery to take place correctly.

How does the sinus lift surgery gets done?

Once you know all that takes place in the surgery, you will be completely prepared to opt in for the surgery. The following are a few points that can help in getting the sinus lift surgery done:

  • The surgeon will cut through the gum tissue
  • Then the tissue gets raised, by exposing the bone beneath ‘
  • The surgeon can cut a small circle in your bone
  • After that, the surgeon will lift a bony piece to your sinus cavity space and fill the hole using the bone graft.
  • Then the surgeon can close the incision.

After this the healing process starts. After close to four and twelve months of sinus lift surgery, the dentist can place all the implants. And this time will provide the new bone the required time to merge correctly with the current bone. The time between the surgery and getting the implants placed can be decided based on the amount of bone you require. The dentist will let you know about this so that you aren’t unaware of any aspect related to this.

Know all that happens once the surgery is over

Usually, you can witness a tad bit of discomfort after your sinus lift. You can get a tad bit of swelling. There is a scope that you can experience light bleeding from the mouth or nose right after the surgery.

Once the surgery is over, you shouldn’t try to blow the nose frequently or even sneeze. It is challenging to control sneezing. So, the best thing you can do is to distance yourself from anything that causes the sneeze. Blowing the nose or sneezing can make the bone-graft material loosen and move the stitches, which can cause havoc. Hence, it is essential to be careful. It is possible that your dentist can provide you with:

  • Antimicrobial mouthwash so that it can prevent all the infection
  • The saline spray for keeping the noise moist
  • Antibiotics
  • Pain medication
  • A prescription for preventing inflammation and congestion

It is necessary to opt-in for the follow-up appointment with your dentist after 7 to 10 days of the surgery. At the time of this appointment, your dentist will assess the surgical site and also eliminate all the stitches that didn’t get dissolved independently. There are certain cases where the patients might need a few more visits. However, you don’t need to worry about anything. An expert dentist will always ensure that you are getting healed correctly and that there are zero side effects that you get to face. Also, if there are any queries, you need to ask your dentist to take good care of your dental health.

When do you need to get talking to a professional after the sinus lift?

Even though the healing from the sinus lift can take place right after the surgery at a slow pace, there might be a few situations where you can require added assistance. Hence, right after the sinus, an individual can get in touch with the surgeon when:

  • There is pain or swelling, which increases by the day.
  • You get a fever.
  • The bone-graft material gets dislodged after blowing the nose or sneezing.
  • The bleeding carries on after a day or two, and it tends to be bright red and keeps continuing.

Once you are aware of all these facts related to sinus lift surgery, you can stay better prepared for the same.