Jawbone Grafts and Sinus Lifts
For patients who’ve lost jawbone density, we may perform a jawbone graft (on the lower jaw, or mandible) or a sinus lift (on the upper jawbone, or maxilla). Both procedures are designed to bolster the strength and density of your jawbone, and may be necessary in order to make dental implant placement possible.
Boosting Your Smile’s Foundation
A jawbone graft often utilizes the patient’s own bone, sourced from another area of the mouth such as the chin or back part of the lower jaw. In some cases, however, an advanced synthetic material may be used, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). Such materials provide a matrix for your own dental DNA to stimulate bone growth.
If you need one or more dental implants in the upper jawbone, or maxilla, then your oral surgeon may suggest a sinus lift to accommodate the implants. A sinus lift involves carefully lifting the membranous floor of your sinuses in order to bolster the maxillary bone. This ensures that there is enough room and enough bone structure for your upper jaw to successfully receive dental implants.