Tooth loss is a serious issue that needs to be addressed right away. When you lose teeth, your entire life is affected. Tooth loss affects your abilities to bite and chew food, which impacts your digestion and nutrition. You may develop a lisp or other speech difficulties. Your smile suffers. Tooth loss also impacts the health of your jawbone, leading to bone loss. Dental implants provide a solution to all of these issues. However, this treatment relies on your jawbone for stability. Without enough bone mass, the posts inserted into your jaw cannot integrate properly. In your upper jaw, insufficient bone mass creates an additional issue. At Karl Zeren DDS, we can help make implants possible with a sinus augmentation.
The Effects Of Bone Loss And Dental Implants
Your teeth play many important roles. One of these roles is keeping your jawbone strong and healthy. When you chew, your teeth stimulate your jawbone. This triggers your body to send essential nutrients. When you lose teeth, your jawbone loses stimulation. As a result, your jawbone begins to lose mass and weaken.
Dental implants rely on your jawbone for stability and success. As you heal, your jawbone gradually fuses to the posts, stabilizing them in your jaw. However, if you have lost too much bone mass, your jawbone may not be able to fuse to the posts properly, or at all. This can lead to loose, unstable implants.
What Is A Sinus Augmentation?
In your upper jaw, bone loss after tooth loss, particularly toward the back of the jaw, can cause additional complications. Some of the teeth near the back of the jaw have roots near that reach toward the maxillary sinus cavities, which are located right behind your cheeks. When you lose these teeth, the bone separating your jawbone from your sinus cavities thins. If the bone becomes too thin, an implant can pierce the sinus cavity during placement. Should this happen, you may be faced with chronic sinus infections and other complications.
Sinus augmentation is a surgical procedure that is performed to restore bone mass to your upper jaw while also protecting your sinus cavities. The procedure is performed under a local anesthetic and sedation. Small incisions are made in your gums near the molars and premolars. Next, incisions are made in the jawbone. Specialized tools are used to push up the floors of your sinus cavities. Bone grafting material is then placed in the space under the sinus cavities. As you heal, your existing bone fuses to the grafting material, restoring strength to your jawbone and increasing the success of your dental implants.
Bone Grafting For Sinus Augmentation
A bone graft is a procedure that involves transplanting bone mass from one area of your body, or from a donor, to the weak areas of your jaw. When used with a sinus augmentation, the bone grafting material is placed under the floors of your sinus cavities. There are a few different types of grafts that may be used. During your initial consultation, we will go over your options to determine the best solution to meet your needs.
- Autograft. An autograft uses bone mass taken from your own body. The tissue is typically harvested from the hip or tibia.
- Allograft. An allograft is a bone graft that uses tissue from another human. This type of graft helps to avoid additional surgical sites.
- Xenograft. A xenograft uses bone mass harvested from a non-human source, typically a cow.
A sinus augmentation helps to restore strength to your jawbone while also protecting your maxillary sinus cavities.
