Sinus Lift Complications – Symptoms And Treatment

Many people suffer from losing an adult tooth at some point in their lives. If this has happened to you, you can be fully confident that you are not alone with this condition.

While any loss of teeth can be somewhat traumatic and can affect your self-confidence quite a bit, most lost teeth can be fixed somewhat quickly with a variety of different dental procedures. The most common of these procedures is a dental implant. However, not all lost teeth can be fixed with a simple dental implant.

Sometimes there are cases where a patient loses an upper tooth and there is simply not enough bone in their upper jaw to support a typical dental implant. In cases like this, a different dental procedure known as a sinus lift is often needed.

A sinus lift is a mild dental surgery that is performed in order to add extra bone to the upper jaw to offer the proper amount of support for a dental implant. The extra bone is usually added to the area of the jaw where the premolars or molars are located and is fitted in between the upper jawbone and maxillary sinuses.

In order for this procedure to be performed properly, the sinus membrane of the maxillary sinuses needs to be lifted so that there is enough space for the extra bone to be fitted. This is where the procedure gets its “sinus lift” name.

Even though the sinus lift procedure is extremely effective and has a remarkably low complication rate, some complications will inevitably occur in any medical procedure. If you have to deal with this dental surgery to fix a missing tooth, let us help you become fully educated in various sinus lift complications and symptoms here.

If you have recently gotten a sinus lift and are experiencing any of the following symptoms, please see your dentist immediately. These symptoms are:

• Pain, sensitivity, bleeding and/or swelling that persists for more than two days after the sinus lift procedure
• If you feel bone or bone-like material moving in your sinuses when you blow your nose or sneeze
• Developing a fever or other symptoms of an infection
• Bleeding bright red blood at a constant pace from the affected area

These symptoms can indicate that a potential complication is occurring with your sinus lift. While sinus lift complications are extremely rare, they do occur. The most common complications include:

A sinus infection

A sinus infection can occur after a sinus lift but are quite rare. They usually occur due to lack of proper care afterward or due to cleanliness issues during the surgery.

A puncture in the sinus

A puncture in the sinus is probably the most common complication that occurs in a sinus lift. They can often be fixed during the surgery but if the hole is unrepairable immediately, the dental surgeon will stop and reschedule the surgery.

Dental implant failure

This occurs when the dental implant that is supposed to be fixed to the sinus lift won’t properly connect with the newly added bone.

Excessive drainage of the wound

This occurs when you see bright red blood or pus draining regularly from the affected area. This is usually quickly fixed with the use of antibiotic treatments and other irrigation techniques.

Make sure you follow your after-surgery care instructions thoroughly and you will minimize the occurrence of any sinus lift complications. As long as you do that, avoid smoking and keep your mouth clean, you should have no issues at all! However, if a worrisome symptom arises, make sure you contact your dentist immediately.

If you are looking to correct your smile and wonder if you may need a sinus lift surgery, please contact us any time at Gables Sedation and Family Dentistry. We are one of the top dental practices in the great Miami, FL area and would love to fix any missing teeth you might have!