Sinus Augmentation in Easton, PA

If you lose any of your posterior teeth, known as premolars or molars, it can increase the amount of force placed on your remaining teeth and negatively affect your bite and oral health. This makes replacing extracted teeth incredibly important, and dental implants provide a long-lasting solution to these gaps in your smile. However, there isn’t always enough room in the upper jaw for dental implants to be placed. When this lack of space is caused by the position of the sinus or because of bone loss, Dr. Alan Dilsaver can perform a sinus augmentation at our office in Easton, PA.  

A sinus augmentation—also called a sinus lift—is performed by repositioning the sinus floor and adding bone so that there is enough space for a dental implant to be inserted. A variety of grafting materials are used to encourage bone to grow more quickly into the area and help stabilize the dental implant.

The bone used in a sinus augmentation may come from the patient’s own body (autogenous bone), a donor (allogeneic bone) or from cow bone (xenograft). Dr. Dilsaver will cut the gum tissue where the missing back teeth used to be in order to expose the bone. Then a small oval window is opened in the bone to gain access to where the sinus meets the jaw, and the sinus floor is pushed up and away from the jaw. Granules of bone-graft material are then packed into the space where the sinus was, adding several millimeters of bone to the jaw.

Once the bone is in place, the tissue is closed with stitches and left to heal. Implants are usually installed four to nine months later after the grafted material meshes with your bone.

Whether you need a sinus augmentation or not, if you are looking to receive dental implants, we can make it happen at Lehigh Valley Smiles. To schedule an appointment, call (610) 252-7414. For more information, please visitwww.lehighvalleysmiles.net. 

Why Would You Need Bone Grafting?

In some cases, our patients do not have the proper amount of bone mass in their jaw to allow for the placement of dental implants. However, thanks to recent developments in bone grafting, people who would not have qualified a few years ago can now receive dental implants. In Easton, PA, Dr. Alan Dilsaver performs bone grafting to increase the amount of bone in his patients’ jaw to allow for future implants at Lehigh Valley Smiles.

There are several bone grafting techniques, but they can all be grouped into two types. The first type of bone grafting is the most extensive type and is performed only by an oral surgeon, which Dr. Dilsaver is. Always done as a surgery separate from dental implant placement, this first type makes large changes to the shape and size of the dental ridge for the sake of implants, which are usually not implanted until several months later.

The second type of bone grafting is usually performed if the jaw has enough bone for implant placement but not enough to completely cover the sides of the implant. These grafts are usually small and performed when dental implants are placed.

Whether you need bone grafting or not, if you are looking to receive dental implants, we can make it happen. To schedule an appointment, call (610) 252-7414. For more information, visit www.LehighValleySmiles.net.