Case Details

This particular patient wishes to get a implant in the molar region but unfortunately, does not have enough bone to support it. Currently, the amount of bone in the vertical dimension that the patient has is 2 mm. Therefore, an increase in bone volume must be established first before an implant can be placed. This is carried out by placing bone graft within the sinus cavity at the site of the implant by creating a small hole (aka “lateral window”) on the outer wall of the maxillary sinus cavity. But first, a sinus lift (or schneiderian membrane elevation) must be performed to create the necessary space that would allow bone graft to be placed. Once this is completed, a dental implant is placed so that the entire surface area of the implant will be contacting new bone.

For this patient, an endosteal (root-form) implant of size 5.0 x 8 mm was placed on the same day as the sinus lift and bone grafting since there was a sufficient amount of primary stability (mechanical fixation) of the implant (40 Ncm) to the native bone and also, since the patient was very healthy and compliant.

---