When a patient’s upper jaw is too thin to hold dental implants, our dentist may recommend a sinus lift, a surgical procedure performed to add bone to the jaw. If you think you may need a sinus lift, we welcome you to contact The Center for Holistic Dental Medicine. Dr. Glenn MacFarlane can consult with you and design a plan to help restore the bone to your jaw and allow the placement of dental implants with a sinus lift in Red Bank, New Jersey.

A sinus lift, sometimes called a sinus augmentation, is a treatment that may be needed to add bone to the upper jaw in the area of the back teeth (molars and premolars) to enable successful implant placement. The maxillary sinuses are located above the upper jawbone on either side of your nose. When a tooth has been lost from the upper jaw, there may not be sufficient bone structure to place a dental implant in the sinus region. Tooth loss also leads to bone loss because the bone begins to be resorbed once the teeth have been lost or removed. If the teeth have been missing for a longer period or bone loss has occurred because of periodontal disease, this may further contribute to the lack of bone for implant placement.

To supplement the bone structure and allow for the successful placement of a dental implant, our dentist may recommend a sinus lift. We gently lift the sinus membrane during this procedure and push it up and away from the jaw. We then add bone-grafting material in the area where the sinus was to add to the bone structure.

We typically allow a healing period of 4-9 months after this procedure so the grafted material can mesh with the natural bone. The dental implant can then be placed to replace the missing tooth.

We invite you to contact Dr. Glenn A. MacFarlane and his team at (732) 517-7785 for more information about whether a sinus lift is right for your oral health needs. Our office is located at 211 Broad Street, Ste. #106, and we accept new and established patients and families.