This clinic
01Point Cook
Address220 Point Cook Road, Point Cook VIC 3030
Phone(03) 8338 1515
HoursMon–Sat 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Implants for the upper back jaw
Sinus lift in Point Cook: making room for upper back implants.
A sinus lift is a bone graft that gently raises the floor of the sinus above your upper back teeth, adding the bone height an implant needs. It's only done when the bone there is too thin, and our Point Cook team can explain whether that applies to you.
Graft material sits beneath the lifted sinus lining
Why it's needed
Why the upper back jaw is different.
Your maxillary sinuses are air spaces inside the cheekbones, sitting just above the roots of the upper back teeth. In many people only a few millimetres of bone separate the two.
After an upper molar or premolar is lost, that bone can thin and the sinus can expand down into the space. The result can be too little bone to hold an implant of the length needed.
A sinus lift adds height from above. Rather than building bone up from the gum side, the dentist raises the thin membrane lining the sinus floor and places graft material underneath it.
When it comes up
Situations where a sinus lift is often raised.
Only an examination and X-rays can show whether there's enough bone. These are the situations where the question usually comes up.
A missing upper molar
- —Molars sit directly under the sinus, so this is the most common site.
- —The longer the tooth has been gone, the more the bone may have thinned.
- —A single implant here may need extra height first.
Several upper back teeth
- —Bone height can differ between neighbouring positions.
- —One side of the mouth may need a lift while the other doesn't.
- —Your dentist will explain the plan for each position.
An upper full-arch plan
- —Some full-arch designs angle the back implants to avoid the sinus.
- —Where that isn't suitable, a sinus lift may become part of the plan.
- —Ask how each approach changes the number of stages.
Whether you need a lift, which type and how long healing takes vary from person to person.
Two main approaches
How is a sinus lift done?
When only a little extra height is needed, the sinus floor can be nudged up through the same small opening prepared for the implant. This is often called a crestal or internal lift, and the implant may go in at the same visit.
When more height is needed, the dentist opens a small window in the side of the jaw bone, lifts the membrane and packs graft material underneath. With this lateral approach the graft usually heals for several months before the implant is placed.
1
Assessment
Your dentist examines the area and uses X-rays to measure the bone under the sinus and check that the sinus is healthy.
2
Raising the membrane
Under local anaesthetic, the sinus lining is gently lifted to create a space above the existing bone.
3
Adding graft material
That space is filled with graft material, which your body gradually replaces with new bone.
4
Healing and the implant
Once healed, the implant is placed into the added height. Sometimes lift and implant happen at one visit.
Ask for a written plan showing each stage, its fee and the alternatives.
Other parts of the jaw are grafted differently
After a sinus lift
A little extra care while it heals.
For the first week or two you'll usually be asked not to blow your nose hard, to sneeze with your mouth open and to skip drinking through a straw, so pressure doesn't disturb the graft. Mild swelling, some bruising or a slight nosebleed can happen early on.
Being grafted somewhere other than the upper back jaw? Our bone grafting page explains how other sites are built up.
Follow the aftercare instructions your dentist gives you, and call if anything worries you.
Fees and payment
What does a sinus lift cost?
The fee depends on the approach, how much graft material is needed and whether the implant is placed at the same time. Ask for the sinus lift to be listed separately in your written treatment plan.
A single implant with a crown starts from $5,000 at Magical Smiles, with any grafting quoted on top. Point Cook accepts HICAPS for on-the-spot health fund claims, plus Afterpay, Zip Pay, Humm and SuperCare.
See what a sample weekly repayment looks like. Open the repayment estimator →
Example figures only. The estimator is not a quote or a credit decision.
We accept
Sinus lift questions
What people ask about sinus lifts.
A sinus lift is a bone graft that raises the floor of the sinus above the upper back teeth, adding the bone height needed to place a dental implant where the jaw has thinned.
It's considered when there isn't enough bone between your upper back gum and the sinus to hold an implant. This often happens after a molar has been missing for some time.
It's done under local anaesthetic. Afterwards, swelling, tenderness and occasionally a minor nosebleed are common for a few days and usually settle with simple pain relief and careful aftercare.
You'll usually be asked to avoid blowing your nose hard, drinking through a straw, smoking and strenuous exercise for a short time, so pressure doesn't disturb the healing graft.
Magical Smiles Point Cook is at 220 Point Cook Road, Point Cook VIC 3030, open Monday to Saturday. Call (03) 8338 1515 or book online.
Missing an upper back tooth?
Find out if you have enough bone.
Our Point Cook team can check the bone under your sinus and explain whether you need a lift, a different approach or no graft at all.
Replacing one upper back tooth? See single tooth implants. Planning a whole upper arch? Our All-on-X implant dentures page explains full-arch options, and the dental implants overview compares them all.