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Sinus Lift in Fairbanks, AK Here at Fairbanks Periodontal Associates, we have plenty of experience working with sinus lifts or augmentations to make room for teeth and bone in your upper jaw. This involves lifting the sinus and can be performed by our professional team with ease.Why a Sinus Life is NecessaryAs we mentioned before, sinus lifts are performed when your upper jaw doesn’t have sufficient height to house dental implants or when they’ve closed in on the jaw. This can happen for multiple reasons. Individuals who have lost teeth from the top row, especially the ones at the very back of the mouth (molars), will have insufficient bone to place the implants in. Due to the skull’s anatomy, the back area of your upper jaw doesn’t have as much bone as your lower jaw. Bone can also be lost because of periodontal disease or because of teeth that were lost and were left untreated for too long. After a tooth is gone for too long, the body starts to resorb bone in that area, leaving an inadequate space to place the implants in. In some cases, the upper part of your jaw might be very close to the sinuses, so they don’t leave enough space for the implants. Each person’s sinus has a different size and shape, so there’s no one-size-fits-all method available. Preparation and ExecutionThe first step is to prepare the bone that will be used to lift your sinus. This bone can come from your body, from a cadaver, or an animal such as a cow. If it’s coming out of your body, it will be grafted from other regions in your mouth or someplace else in your body. In some cases, bone can be taken from the tibia (right under your knee) or your neck. Previous to your sinus lift, you will need x-rays done so that we can analyze your jaw and sinus anatomy. You might also require a CT scan in some cases. This exam will enable the dentist to correctly assess your current bone's dimensions and assess your sinus' health. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, we will work with you to plan your procedure on the days when they're not active. We will then proceed to cut off gum tissue from where your back teeth were before. This will lift the tissue and let us visualize the bone. We then carve a small oval-shaped window in the bone. On the other side of this window, we’ll be able to see the outer lining of the sinus. We will softly press it, so it’s further away from your jaw. Bone-graft tissue granules are then placed into the sinus' space. The quantity of bone used will differ, but generally, multiple millimeters of bone is added. Once everything is finished, the tissue is stitched closed. If you’re working on getting implants set up, we’ll set up another appointment 4 to 9 months from this one so the placed material can heal and fuse with your bone. How long it takes will depend on how much bone was used and your body in particular. We can only give you an estimate. For more information about sinus lifts, call the experienced professionals here at Fairbanks Periodontal Associates at (907) 455-7100 today! |
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Fairbanks Periodontal Associates
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