Re: Implant / Sinus lift question

On 24 May 2006 23:37:40 -0700, "Alexander Vasserman DDS"
<purple543210@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

1) you should make sure the surgeon knows you have a history of
sinusitis as this can be a negative factor towards implant success in
the long run. I does not mean you should not do the procedure, just be
prepared for possible (no one knows for sure) undesired outcomes of the
proposed treatment.

Sinuses are large spaces inside the bones of your face which are
responsible for equalizing atmospheric pressure around you. These
chambers are lined with a membrane. When you get a cold/flu these
chambers fill with fluid from your nose and give you that stuffy
congested feeling.
People that have allergies, sinusitis, frequent colds, deviated nasal
septom and have constricted nasal openings have very large sinus
spaces. The reason is that over time the bone shrinks in the upper jaw
to allow more room for larger sinus space. When doing implants this
presents a problem in that implants need to be screwed into bone
through the length of the implant to prevent it from spining. The more
bone you have around the implant the better the success of
osseointergration(bone attaching to the implant and making it anchor
solid). If you do not have enough bone height for the size of the
implant than (thank goodness for modern dentistry we can place more
bone from a jar(--either your own bone, from another dead person, or
from a cow--) there by making the sinus chamber smaller.) you need a
procedure called a sinus lift.
A sinus lift envolves lifting the membrane carefully without tearing
(it as a tear is difficult to heal and when you get a cold stuff will
be draining into your mouth or when you drink liquids will flow out of
your nose) and placing more ground up bone chips under the membrane
thus increasing the overall height of the bone so that an implant can
be placed there and everything grows together solid. There are 2 ways
of doing a sinus lift one involves a lot of tapping and is probably the
easiest to do and the other involves making a window into the chamber
without tearing the membrane gently lifting it and packing lots of
bone.
If you're young it is nice to have implants vs denture especially when
we have modern dentistry giving us the ability to do this predictably.
I've done the first type of sinus lift and I can say that patients do
not feel any pain. There is usually a little swelling 48 hours post up
but then this goes down and everything is well.
Whether you get 1st or second type of sinus lift depends on you having
enough bone for the procedure in question. For the first type of
procedure you need at least 5mm of bone height on the x-ray.
good luck
Thanks a lot.
I am very concerned about screwing around with my sinuses, and will be
making this very clear to the oral surgeon.

I read there is a type of implant specifically designed for people
that need sinus lifts, which , according to the article I read,

"...can be placed in as little as 5.0mm of bone. They are called
Endopore and Innova Corporation fabricates them. There surface is
composed of thousands of tiny titanium spheres. This is the same
technology used by many orthopedic surgeons for hip replacement. These
tiny spheres tremendously increase the surface area, they also allow
the bone to function under tension.

In 2.0-3.0mm of bone a properly trained skilled surgeon can create the
opening for the implant push the floor of the sinus up through this
opening, place the bone graft and then the implant. This procedure is
referred to as a sinus lift through crestal approach. It is much more
conservative than the sinus lift procedure you referred to."

Then the article goes on to say:

"Finally, a spark erosion precision partial denture is another option.
There is nothing on the roof of your mouth. It is virtually
undetectable. After you place it in your mouth a"jewelry like" clasp
is closed and it is extremely rigid."

Do you know about these alternatives?

By the way, I paid $440 for a CT scan and $over $250 for a stent to
wear during the scan, just to make sure my bones can accept the
implants. After looking at this my surgeon informed me that I would
probably need a bone graft and sinus lift on the right upper side. He
said he would be discussing this with colleagues to make sure and I
will discuss the findings with him tomorrow.

But I am leaning towards going with one of these alternatives instead
of getting a bone graft and sinus lift; it just seems to invasive.
.

Relevant Pages

  • implant poking through gums
    ... simultaneously gave me an osseous bone graft. ... but a few weeks later he proceeded with his plan to install an implant. ... he looked in his list of periodontists with the proper training in ... and eventually I understood that this was because the gum was getting thinner. ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • Re: Implant / Sinus lift question
    ... The reason is that over time the bone shrinks in the upper jaw ... through the length of the implant to prevent it from spining. ... A sinus lift envolves lifting the membrane carefully without tearing ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • Re: Implant / Sinus lift question
    ... making this very clear to the oral surgeon. ... "...can be placed in as little as 5.0mm of bone. ... This is not a very good implant. ... referred to as a sinus lift through crestal approach. ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • Re: Dental Implant failed after 2 years...
    ... Bio-Oss is a matrix of cortical bone taken from a cow. ... If the implant is solid I do not recommend its removal. ... it needs to be treated and a bone graft done again. ... taste was from the gums around the front crown (the one with the ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • Re: do implants *really* feel natural?
    ... If you go to a surgeon for an extraction, ... they are selling you a bone graft so they may place an implant in 6 ... months rather than waiting for bone to fill the space where the root ... Of course there is a charge for the bone graft. ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)