This procedure is used by Dr. Newhart to place bone in the sinus and the implant at the same time. It can be used when there is 7-8mm of bone height. The advantage of this procedure is that it is less costly than the Tatum approach and saves time by allowing the implant and the bone graft to be placed together. Dr. Newhart has been doing this procedure for over 15 years. See the following pictures as to how the sinus is elevated and the implant is placed. Please note this procedure cannot be done if there is only 1-6mm of bone below the sinus and that is why the Tatum lateral wall technique is needed.
Sinus Elevation – Tatum Approach
Maxillary sinus floor augmentation (also termed sinus lift, sinus graft, sinus augmentation or sinus procedure) is a surgical procedure where Dr. Newhart aims to increase the amount of bone in the upper jaw bone, in the area where the implants are to be placed. When a natural tooth is lost, the upper jaw begins to shrink and there may not be enough bone height to place an implant without this necessary bone grafting. Over time the jaw bone loses both height and width. Furthermore, the level of the floor of the maxillary sinus gradually becomes lower. Overall, this leads to a loss of volume of bone which is available for implantation of dental implants. The goal of the sinus lift is to graft extra bone into the maxillary sinus, so more bone height is available to support a long and strong dental implant. Dr. Newhart performs this procedure six months prior to dental implant placement and not at the time of dental implant placement. Discomfort and pain are usually minimal and Dr. Newhart has performed this procedure for over 15 years with excellent success. This procedure is needed when there is too much bone loss or the sinus area is too large for him to place the implants using the other crestal approach.