Implant dentistry has progressed a great deal in the last few years, providing even more options for people with missing teeth. Many new approaches are now used to help people who previously might not have been able to have implants placed. These approaches include sinus augmentation.
What Does Sinus Augmentation Do?
One of the most important factors in evaluating your suitability for implants is the amount of bone in your jaw. Without sufficient bone to support them, implants have no anchor and will fail. Sinus augmentation is one way your periodontist or implant dentist can increase the available bone to make implants possible.
Sinus augmentation deals with the upper jaw. Just above where the teeth are rooted into the jaw, the skull opens up into the maxillary sinuses. These are open spaces inside the skull that change the way your voice sounds, and which might help humidify the air you breathe. If there is not enough bone between the teeth and the sinuses, dental implants will not be successful. Sinus augmentation, then, involves adding bone under the sinus membrane to provide sufficient anchorage for your implants.
How is Sinus Augmentation Performed?
To perform a sinus augmentation, the membrane at the base of the sinus cavity is lifted. Bone is then grafted to the jawbone under the shifted membrane. This bone is usually acquired from somewhere else in your body to make it more likely to bond with the existing bone. After you have healed from this surgery, your dental implants can then be put into place.
Using procedures like bone grafting, sinus augmentation, and other approaches to implant dentistry, new, natural-looking replacement teeth have been made available for even more people. You’re more likely to require this type of preparatory procedure if you’ve been missing teeth for several years or if you’ve been wearing traditional dentures. Once you have your new implants, though, your bone will be stimulated to grow, giving you not only a perfect smile, but also a healthier jaw.
Contact the office of our experienced periodontist at 214-443-0876 if you are considering implants today.