Implant Surgery & Support
Sinus lift surgery
Creating the bone height the upper jaw needs to support an implant — by elevating the sinus membrane and grafting beneath it.
The maxillary sinus sits directly above your upper back teeth, and it naturally expands as you age. Once those teeth are lost, the bone beneath the sinus resorbs from below while the sinus expands from above — leaving too little height for an implant.
A sinus lift solves this by carefully elevating the sinus membrane and filling the space created with graft material. Patients typically gain four to twelve millimetres of bone height.
Three surgical approaches
Lateral Window
The most common method. A small window is created in the sinus wall to elevate the membrane and place the graft. Best suited to significant bone loss where substantial vertical gain is needed.
Crestal (Osteotome)
A less invasive technique performed through the implant site itself. Appropriate where four to six millimetres of bone already exists and a faster timeline is preferred.
Combined Approach
Both techniques used together for complex cases requiring comprehensive reconstruction across several sites.
How treatment runs
Pre-surgical planning
CBCT imaging maps your sinus anatomy and existing bone height precisely, and the entry point and graft volume are planned before surgery.
Window creation & membrane elevation
The sinus membrane is lifted carefully away from the bone floor — the delicate part of the procedure, and the reason it belongs with an experienced oral surgeon.
Graft placement
Autologous, allograft, xenograft, or synthetic material is placed in the space created.
Healing, four to six months
Surgical closure, then integration as the graft matures into living bone.
Implant placement
Once the bone has matured and been confirmed on a follow-up scan, implants are placed.
What recovery is actually like
Most patients experience minimal pain, managed with medication for three to five days. Swelling peaks around day two or three and then subsides.
Returning to desk work is usually possible within three to five days, though restrictions on strenuous activity apply for seven to ten days. The procedure is performed by Dr. Claudio Tocchio, with sedation managed by Dr. Stephen Ing.
Questions about your procedure?
Call (905) 479-7777 to schedule a consultation and find out whether you need a sinus lift.