What happens when a dental implant sticks out into the maxillary sinus?
Implants and bone reconstruction!
In order for dental implants to hold securely you need to have enough bone. But if a patient has been missing teeth for too long or suffered periodontitis, often there is not enough bone left in the upper jaw. An operation designed to reconstruct bone – called a sinus lift – has to be performed before implanting.
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Bone reconstruction in the upper jaw
Despite the most careful planning, implants sometimes end up sticking out into the maxillary sinus. Patients must be informed, as a lot of them get dental implants without realizing that the maxillary sinus got damaged in the process.
Is there a greater risk of losing an implant?
Sinus infections may represent a risk, even during a common head cold, implants may get infected due to the lack of a protective bone layer. Then you can lose an implant.
The picture shows a patient with implants in her upper jaw (to the right in the picture). The implants (black) clearly stick out into the maxillary sinus (blue). The patient was not told about this problem – even though the implants stuck out from the very beginning. The operation took place three years ago, right now there are no inflammations around the implants – but there are some in the rest of the teeth!
