When receiving dental implants, there are a few things that need to be addressed beforehand in order to have a smooth and unproblematic outcome so that you can enjoy your brand new smile.
In the first stage of your journey to new teeth, there’s an examination by Dr. Silberg which includes a 3D CT-scan and an impression that’s made of your mouth. This is to ensure the teeth to be made, will fit with precision, and to check if you have enough bone to support the implant.
Everything is reviewed by Dr. Silberg and our staff to determine what needs to be done to give you optimal results with your implants which can differ depending on which teeth were lost and need replacing. Often times you need something called a Sinus Lift Bone Graft. This procedure is often performed for a few different reasons. If you’ve lost your upper posterior teeth due to periodontal disease, have a thin amount of bone in your upper jaw, or have your maxillary sinus (the area behind your nose and above your mouth) too close to your upper jaw for the implants to be placed. If this is the case then you will need a sinus graft for your dental implants.
The teeth included in the section that affects how your sinus functions, are the cuspids (canines), bicuspids (premolars), and remaining molars. When receiving a graft, the bone may come from your own hip or tibia (autogenous bone), a cadaver (allogeneic bone), or from cow bone (xenograft). Dr. Silberg will use your CT-scan to study the anatomy of your jaw and sinus, and if needed will also get X-rays before your sinus lift. This will allow Dr. Silberg to accurately measure the height and width of your existing bone, and to evaluate the health of your sinus.
Note: If you have seasonal allergies let Dr. Silberg know, this may affect determination of your procedure because the sinus swells during these times and may not produce an accurate reading.
When receiving a sinus lift, Dr. Silberg will cut the gum tissue where your back molars used to be, and raise it to expose the bone. A small oval incision is opened in your bone. The membrane lining the sinus is gently pushed up, away from your jaw. You will then receive granules of the bone-grafting material and have them packed into the space where the sinus was. It is only a few millimeters of bone that is added, but it will allow your dental implant and sinus to be comfortable and free of the chance for infection. After the bone is in place, your oval window is sewn up. You will need four to nine months of healing and growing time, but that is determined by the amount of bone needed.
After this procedure is complete it is common to have swelling and bleeding from the mouth or nose. It is imperative for you to not to blow their nose or sneeze forcefully as much as possible. This keeps the bone-graft material from moving, or loosening the stitches.
Like we said it takes several months for the bony material heal. It will begin to harden and mesh with your jaw, and depending on the material that was used, your dental implants can be placed in four to nine months.
There are some dentists that are now using proteins called growth factors to help your new bone harden faster than traditional methods. This platelet-rich plasma contains growth factors, and is taken from your blood before surgery, and is then mixed with the bone graft that is placed within your sinus. There is also a human-recombinant bone morphogenetic protein available which is an engineered protein. This stimulates bone formation without grafting. It is also US FDA approved to be used during a sinus lift procedure.
After you’re all healed, you can begin the next step which is to receive your dental implants. While getting implants in the upper area of your mouth, you will need a wider post to create better stability and keep them secured inside of your graft. This will also stabilizes the rest of your implants in the front of your upper jaw. On rare occasions, your dental implants will not take because the graft material and your existing bone don’t develop a blood supply. If this happens, a sinus lift can be repeated with even better odds of success.
If you are interested learning more, or have additional questions about receiving dental implants, please reach out to us. The Silberg Center for Dental Science is dedicated in providing the most up to date information for dental procedures, and we are dedicated to helping you with your new smile.