Ridge Augmentation

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Sinus Lift Procedure

When upper teeth are removed or have been missing for some time, there is often just a thin wall of bone separating the maxillary sinus and the mouth. Dental implants need bone to hold them in place. When the sinus wall is very thin, it is impossible to place dental implants in this bone.

There is a solution and it’s called a sinus lift graft. The remaining bone and sinus membrane is lifted upward by Dr. Carpenter and donor bone is added. After several months of healing, the bone becomes part of the patient’s jaw and dental implants can be inserted and stabilized in this new bone.

The sinus graft makes it possible for many patients to have dental implants when years ago there was no other option other than wearing loose dentures.

If enough bone between the upper jaw ridge and the bottom of the sinus is available to stabilize the implant well, sinus augmentations and implant placement can sometimes be performed as a single procedure. If not enough bone is available, the sinus augmentation will have to be performed first, then the graft will have to mature for several months, depending upon the type of graft material used. Once the graft has matured, the implants can be placed.

Bone Augmentation/Ridge Expansion

Often when a tooth has been missing for some time, not enough bone is present for implant placement.  In these situations, Dr. Carpenter will perform a bone augmentation. This is a technique used to restore the lost bone dimension when the jaw ridge gets too thin to place conventional implants. One technique is to expand the bone by mechanical means.   A second technique called Guided Bone Regeneration uses allograft or synthetic bone.  Both these techniques help create a wider and taller bone base for the implant to be placed.

The use of allograft or synthetic bone is used to promote the patient’s own bone to grow into the repair site. It is quite effective and very safe.  These bone graft materials are the same an orthopedic surgeon would often use.