Sinus Augmentation...the following images are very graphical

This page shows you a sequence of images of a typical Sinus Augmentation.

The image on the left shows the toothless or edentulous area. In order for implants to be placed, we needed to augmented the sinus on that site. The image on the right shows the bony ridge, once the tissues are reflected.

Above on the left you can see how the initial outline of the access window is prepared. On the right we see how the window is in-fractured into the sinus cavity (some surgeons prefer to remove the bony window). The sinus membrane lining the inside of the sinus is kept intact so that the bone graft stays confined to the area it was originally placed.

	The picture on the left shows a close-up shot of the in-fractured window. This window is then pushed upward, much like a trap door and the space underneath is then filled with bone graft material, as can be seen in the right image. The whitish looking material is the graft, which is packed all the way to cover the window.

		On the left you can see the tissues re-approximated to their original condition and re-sutured. After ten days the sutures are removed and after 6 months (with this particular graft material) the implants can be placed.

Although not related to the surgical case shown, above you can see before and after x-rays of a Sinus Augmentation done on both sides of the upper jaw, followed by implant placement six months later. The small pin-like implants are transitional implants that support a temporary prosthesis while the other implants are integrating for another six months. These will be removed later. In the image above on the left you can see how close the bottom of both sinuses (outlined in white) are coming to the top of the upper jaw ridge (redrawn as a white line). The image above on the right shows the same jaw one year later with the new bone from the graft (between the black arrows) and the implants in place.

The Sinus Augmentation is now considered a routine surgery with usually very minimal post-operative discomfort.