Improve Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

Two Dental Replacement Options When You Have a Low Sinus Cavity

14 July 2016 by Christy Long

The sinus cavity runs parallel to your upper jawbone, and the proximity can cause issues should you lose a tooth and need a dental replacement. Dental implants, one of the most natural-feeling and natural-looking replacement options, require the dentist to implant a metal root in the jawbone, which is hard to do if the sinus cavity sits in the way.

If you have a low sinus cavity, there are a few different options for dental replacements. Here are some possibilities to discuss with your general or cosmetic dentistry specialist.

Sinus Lift and Bone Graft with Implant

Have your heart set on receiving dental implants? This dental replacement could become possible with a bit of prep work. Your dentist would likely need to perform both a sinus lift and a bone graft to make the area suitable for the implant root.

A sinus lift involves the dentist drilling through your jawbone to access the sinus cavity. The cavity is then lifted and pushed up out of the way of where the implant root needs to go. Bone graft material, either taken from elsewhere in your mouth or from a donor, is then inserted across the sinus cavity to hold the cavity in its new position. The dentist will then allow the bone graft to heal so the existing bone and graft will fuse together before they implant the metal root.

Dental implants alone require a long treatment time due to the dentist needing to wait for the jawbone to fuse around the metal root. Add the sinus lift and bone graft ahead of the implant and you could have quite a lengthy treatment time. This may or may not be a deal breaker for your particular situation.

Dental Bridge

Don't want to wait for the long treatment plan associated with the sinus lift and bone graft for the dental implant? Consider going with a different type of dental replacement option. If you have healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth, a dental bridge could prove a good replacement option.

The bridge features dental crowns on each side of an artificial tooth that will hang in the emptied tooth gap. The crowns are bonded to the natural teeth on either side. A bridge might not feel as natural as a dental implant while chewing, but the appearance is fairly convincing.

Dental bridges are also reversible, which means that you could get a short-term dental bridge to fill in the gap while you wait for the sinus lift and bone graft to heal or until you decide what other dental replacement option you would like to pursue.

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