How to have Implants when there is Bone Loss and Low Sinus

Updated: Sep 23, 2021

“I’m conscious that I have missing teeth when I smile. I’ve been told that the only option is to have a denture because I can’t have dental implants to replace my missing teeth because of bone loss and low sinuses. Is there anything that can be done so I can have dental implants?”

Dr See says: Wow, great question. So much to unpack here in a short space. I will try and do it justice. To dramatically simplify the situation, we have a dental implant which is like a screw and we have bone where we have the missing tooth, which is like a piece of wood. Inserting the screw into a piece of wood where there is insufficient dimensions would result in an unstable or loose screw and its subsequent failure. It is clear we would need to build more wood to have a stable and secure screw. So if you do have insufficient bone to have implants, we need to build more bone. In short, internationally there has been massive advancements in recent times in techniques and materials for rebuilding bone that I would have only dreamt about when I placed my first implant in 2006. Let’s look at a case that we completed where there was bone loss and a low sinus.

David came to see us because of advanced gum disease around his front tooth which had significant bone loss. He had his upper right premolars extracted over 10 years ago. He had also been told that he wasn’t a candidate for implants due to the bone loss and a low sinus. He wanted to improve his oral health, improve the colour and shape of his teeth and he didn’t want a denture to be his only option.