Implants are placed after a sinus lift once healing is complete.
If you have been advised that you need a sinus lift before getting dental implants, you might feel that your path to a perfect smile has just been obstructed. This is a common feeling that we hear at Lema Dental Clinic in Istanbul. Nevertheless, a sinus lift isn’t a setback; it is the crucial first stage.
Consider your upper jawbone as the base of a house. If the ground is too thin, the base will not be stable. In the upper jaw, maxillary sinuses—air-filled spaces behind your cheeks—usually enlarge as we get older or after losing teeth. This results in the bone being too “shallow” for a dental implant. A sinus lift essentially lifts that “ceiling,” thus creating room for placing new bone graft material.
Yet the issue still stands: do we insert the dental implant right away or wait?
Two Different Approaches: Immediate vs. Delayed Loading
Based on our clinical experience at Lema Dental Clinic, the main factor that determines the duration of the procedure is usually the condition of your bone at the “starting point”. Professor Doctor Coşkun Yıldız argues that the main goal should always be to achieve permanent stability. If the dental implant is not held tightly enough by the bone on day one, then the only choice is to postpone the procedure.
1. The Simultaneous Approach (Immediate Placement)
Bearinga natural bone height of 4mm to 5mm at least, it is possible to carry out the sinus lift and implant in one surgical session.
- How it works: After lifting the sinus membrane (which is just as sensitive as the skin inside an eggshell) and putting in the bone graft, the implant is then screwed into your existing natural bone, which serves as a stable base while the new graft is developing.
- The Benefit: You only have to go through one operation and one recovery.
2. The Staged Approach (Delayed Placement)
Truthfully, some patients’ bone condition is so severe that they have hardly any bone left—sometimes merely 1mm or 2mm. For such cases, an immediate implant is like forcing a bolt into a very thin part of the wall; it just won’t hold.
- The Wait: The sinus lift is done first and the bone graft is allowed to “ossify” or transform into hard, living bone. This usually takes from 6 to 9 months.
- The Benefit: The best possible success of the implant is guaranteed by this procedure.
Why Have Your Sinus Lift in Turkey?
Opting for Lema Dental Clinic in Turkey for your sinus lift procedure entitles you to top-notch surgical skills. Dentist Polen Akkılıç and her crew employ state-of-the-art 3D imaging to pinpoint your sinus configuration within microns. This is not merely surgery; it is biological engineering.
Timeline Comparison: At a Glance
| Factor | Simultaneous Placement | Staged (Delayed) Placement |
| Minimum Existing Bone | 4mm – 5mm | Less than 4mm |
| Total Healing Time | 4 – 6 months | 9 – 12 months (Total) |
| Surgical Sessions | One | Two |
| Primary Risk | Lack of initial stability | Longer overall treatment time |
| Ideal For | Minor bone loss | Significant bone resorption |
The Healing Phase: What to Expect
The body is actually a very complex ecosystem. After the graft is set in your body, it starts a process called osteogenesis. The blood supply gradually extends into the graft area, and the cells that are specialized in depositing new calcium get to work.
Right through the process of healing, we tell our patients to be “sinus-conscious.” They should not blow their nose very hard or use straws because the pressure changes can break the thin membrane, which is just like an eggshell and is still healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Comfort is always the first thing we think of at Lema. The operation is done under local anaesthetic or sedation so that you’re pain-free during the surgery. Later on, the majority of patients say that the sensation they had was ‘fullness’ or dull pressure like a mild sinus cold, not sharp pain.” — Dentist Polen Akkılıç.
“We figure this out from a 3D CBCT scan. If the bottom of your sinus has fallen too close to where the tooth roots used to be, there isn’t enough ‘depth’ to securely hold an implant. If we detect less than 8mm in height, then a lift is typically a subject of discussion.” — Professor Doctor Coşkun Yıldız.
It’s uncommon but similar to other grafts; it requires a good blood supply. Here, smoke is definitely the biggest villain as it causes blood vessel constriction,n so the graft starves of blood supply. So patients who wish for the best results should always be encouraged to quit smoking temporarily.
Of course, no! We can give you a series of temporary cosmetic treatments that will let you smile naturally without interruption during the 6-month healing period. You won’t be walking out of Turkey with a half smile.
We are very careful in accomplishing this. We reduce the probability of getting ‘sinusitis’ at the lowest level by handling all our procedures with sterile techniques and giving post-operative rinses and antibiotics specifically. Almost all patients’ sinuses feel absolutely normal after two weeks.
- Boyne, P. J., & James, R. A. (1980). Grafting of the maxillary sinus floor with autogenous marrow and bone. Journal of Oral Surgery, 38(8), 613-616.
- Tatum, H., Jr. (1986). Maxillary and sinus implant reconstructions. Dental Clinics of North America, 30(2), 207-229.
- Pjetursson, B. E., et al. (2008). A systematic review of the success of sinus floor elevation and survival of implants inserted in combination with sinus floor elevation. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 35(s8), 216-240.
- Del Fabbro, M., et al. (2004). Systematic review of survival rates for implants placed in the grafted maxillary sinus. International Journal of Periodontics & Restorative Dentistry, 24(6).
- Valentini, P., & Abensur, D. (1997). Maxillary sinus floor elevation for implant placement with demineralized freeze-dried bone and bovine bone (Bio-Oss): A clinical study of 20 patients. International Journal of Periodontics & Restorative Dentistry, 17(3).
