Basic Procedure
There are multiple ways to perform sinus augmentation. The procedure is performed from inside the patient’s mouth where the surgeon makes an incision into the gum, or gingiva. Once the incision is made, the surgeon then pulls back the gum tissue, exposing the lateral boney wall of the sinus. The surgeon then cuts a "window" to the sinus, which is covered by a thin membrane. The membrane is carefully lifted away, and bone graft material is placed into the newly created space. The bone material can be allogenic (from a tissue bank) or autogenous (taken from the patient). Synthetic materials may also be used.
As an alternative, sinus augmentation can be performed by a less invasive osteotome technique, in which the sinus membranes are lifted by gentle tapping of the sinus floor with the use of osteotomes. The amount of augmentation achieved with the osteotome technique is usually less than what can be achieved with the lateral window. The goal of this procedure is to stimulate bone growth and form a thicker sinus floor, in order to support dental implants.
Read more about this topic: Sinus Augmentation
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