Does Dental Insurance Cover Sinus Lift?

  • A sinus lift can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 per side, for a total of $3,000 to $5,000 if both sides are needed. Cheyenne Advanced Dental Arts in Nevada, for example, charges around $1,800 per side, or $3,600 for both sides. S. Robert Davidoff, a prosthodontist in Florida, charges $2,450 per sinus, or $4,900 for both sides.
  • Because a sinus lift is considered a dentistry procedure, it is usually not covered by health insurance.
  • If the surgeon is using a tiny piece of bone from a donor location on the patient’s body, such as the tibia or hip bone, rather than bone from a cadaver or cow or synthetic bone, the surgeon will first extract a small piece of bone from a donor site on the patient’s body.
  • The surgeon creates an incision into the gum, lifts the floor of the sinus cavity, and inserts bone pieces between the upper jaw and the lining of the maxillary sinus cavity in a sinus lift, which usually involves sedation and local anesthesia.
  • The bone transplant will mend and adhere to the patient’s own bone over the next several months, allowing the surgeon to put dental implants that will be secured in place by the new bone.
  • Patients must take two to three days off work to recover, and they must avoid excessive exercise for at least a week, as well as sneezing (by taking medicine) and blowing their nose for two to three weeks.
  • The patient will most likely need pain medicine, an antihistamine, and an over-the-counter nose spray after surgery.
  • After a few months to a year, you should be ready to have your dental implants, which range in price from $1,250 to $3,000.
  • Discounted dental services are occasionally available through dental schools. The American Dentistry Association has compiled a list of dental schools in the United States.
  • A sinus lift is usually performed by a prosthodontist, who specializes in tooth restoration and replacement, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, or a periodontist, who specializes in gum disease and dental implant implantation. It’s a good idea to double-check that the specialist you hire is board-certified.
  • The American Board of Prosthodontics provides a searchable database of board-certified prosthodontists by city and state. A surgeon locator is also available from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, although board certification must be checked individually. A list of board-certified periodontists is also available from the American Board of Periodontology.
  • Puncture of the sinus wall, bone graft rejection (if cadaver or animal bone is utilized), heavy bleeding, sinusitis symptoms that could become permanent, and graft migration are all risks of a sinus lift.

Does dental insurance pay sinus lift?

A sinus lift costs from $1,500 to $2,500 per side on average, so if you need both sides lifted, you could pay up to $5,000. Because it’s a dental procedure, it’s unlikely to be covered by ordinary health insurance.

If antibiotics are required prior to surgery, the surgeon will prescribe them. You may require prescription-strength pain medicine as well as an antihistamine during your recovery. All of these expenses were not included in the initial quote.

Finally, you should have no trouble having your dental implants within a few months to a year. These are expected to cost up to $3,000 each.

What is the average cost for a sinus lift?

A sinus lift can cost anything from $1,500 for a minor and uncomplicated lift to $5,000 for more complex cases. The cost of the surgery normally rises as more bone graft material is required. When it comes to major surgery, you want to make sure you’re working with a thorough and qualified physician.

Risks of a Sinus Augmentation Procedure

Because a sinus lift is a surgical operation, there are some risks involved. The piercing or tearing of the membrane is the main danger of this operation. If this occurs, the damage can be corrected and the surgery can proceed. In the case of a greater rip, the membrane may need to be allowed to heal before the lift can be performed again later.

A sinus infection is the greater danger. Your surgeon will prescribe medication to prevent this, and you should avoid sneezing or blowing your nose too hard to avoid dislodging your stitches or displacing the bone graft material. As a result, obtaining a sinus augmentation during allergy season is not recommended.

How painful is a sinus lift?

Many people worry whether or not a sinus lift is uncomfortable. In general, a sinus augmentation or sinus lift is uncomfortable rather than painful. A patient is unlikely to experience any pain during the treatment, but thereafter, he or she should expect some little discomfort for a brief time. Although your face may be puffy and bleeding may occur, your dentist will most likely prescribe pain medicine and antibiotics to help.

Does a sinus lift change facial appearance?

Yes, a sinus lift can improve your facial appearance by repairing bone that has been lost in the upper jaw, reversing the sunken, prematurely-aged aspect associated with tooth loss.

How do I stop a sinus lift?

When the height or width of the upper jaw bone has been lost, the following information applies. The graft is used to help rebuild your jawbone in preparation for an implant to replace your missing tooth or teeth.

Your upper jaw has undergone a Sinus Lift Augmentation surgery. This operation restores lost bone height around your first and second molars, as well as your second premolar on occasion. It’s a crucial treatment because it allows implants to be placed in areas where they couldn’t be placed otherwise due to insufficient bone height caused by an enlarged sinus.

The grafted bone is typically a mixture of freeze-dried bone, artificial synthetic bone, and your own bone. As a result, you may have two post-surgical wounds: one for the donor and one for the recipient.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO IT. FOR THE NEXT FOUR (4) WEEKS, BLOW YOUR NOSE. If indicated, this could be extended. You may smell as much as you like, but no blowing is permitted.

Do not sneeze or blow your nose while holding your nose. When you sneeze, keep your mouth open. Do not use straws to drink and do not spit. Scuba diving and traveling in pressurized planes can both cause sinus pressure to rise and should be avoided. Decongestants like Drixoral, Dimetapp, or Sudafed can help relieve nasal pressure. You may also be given an antibiotic prescription. Please follow the instructions carefully. Anything that puts pressure in your nose should be avoided. Lifting heavy things, blowing up balloons, playing musical instruments that require a blowing action, or any other activity that produces nasal or mouth pressure should be avoided. It is necessary to put an end to smoking. Dr. Chaudhry can prescribe Nicoderm patches if necessary.

Can a sinus lift and implant be done at the same time?

Sinus Lift and Simultaneous Implants A simultaneous implant and sinus lift may be possible if you have mild to moderate bone loss under your sinus canals. After the sinus cavity’s floor is elevated, bone particles are inserted beneath it, and the implants are placed simultaneously.

How long does a sinus lift last?

What is the duration of a sinus lift? It takes at least 6 months for the sinuses to heal and the bone to be strong enough to accept dental implants after a sinus lift. Although the procedure may appear to be slow, you are working towards long-term results.

What are the risks of a sinus lift?

Tearing of the Schneiderian membrane, antral or nasal penetration, bleeding, damage or injury to adjacent teeth, fracture, fenestration, dehiscence or perforation of alveolar bone, insufficient primary stability, improper position or angulation of the fixture, obstruction of the OMC, and swallowing of instruments are all known intraoperative complications of maxillary sinus graft. Schneiderian membrane ripping is most commonly caused by preexisting perforation, an existing or past pathologic state, tearing during lateral window scoring, or elevation from bone walls7. The most common complication of maxillary sinus transplant is the rupture of the Schneiderian membrane, which is reported to occur in 10% to 34% of patients. Because cigarette smoke thins the maxillary sinus membrane, the incidence rate is higher in smokers than in nonsmokers.

The survival percentage of implants has been reported to be 97.14 percent if the perforation of the maxillary sinus membrane is less than 5 mm, which is not significantly different from the survival rate of regular implants. However, because the survival probability drops to 91.89 percent in cases of perforations between 5 and 10 mm and to 74.14 percent in cases bigger than 10 mm, extra caution should be exercised during surgery to avoid breaking the membrane8. Furthermore, as it has been observed that when the maxillary sinus membrane is perforated, simultaneous implant insertion results in a 90.81 percent survival rate, a staged approach should be considered9.

We previously used the Loma Linda pouch procedure to treat major punches. A broad membrane is put into the maxillary sinus to create a pouch, and the bone graft material is implanted in the pouch. However, because there have been reports of the membrane preventing osteocytes from migrating from the periosteum, resulting in bone graft failures, it is no longer often employed.

Following that, we’ll go into bleeding-related factors and bleeding-control measures. The infraorbital artery and the posterior superior alveolar artery form an extraosseous and intraosseous anastomosis in the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus. In terms of the intraosseous branch, it has been stated that straight-type branches account for 75% of all cases, while U-shaped branches account for 25%. Based on the aforesaid information, it is possible to anticipate the paths of blood vessels if only a portion of the intraosseous branch is visible on CBCT. The distance between the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) of the posterior maxilla and the vessel varies from a minimum of 15.2 mm to a maximum of 34.6 mm in the case of the intraosseous branch, with an average of 21.1 to 26.9 mm. Furthermore, the distance between the inferior border of the maxillary sinus and the vessel varies between 2.5 and 19.4 mm, with an average of 9.4 to 10.3 mm. This indicates that if a small window is produced and positioned as low as feasible, the intraosseous branch is less likely to be encountered. A variety of sinus lateral approach kits (e.g., SLA kit and DASK) have recently been developed and are extremely useful surgical instruments.

If there is a lot of bleeding during surgery, different procedures are utilized to stop it. The initial step in treating bleeding is to elevate the patient’s head and apply pressure. In most situations, bleeding can be managed with gauze packing alone when there is no pulse rhythm in the intra-osseous branch. If pushing alone isn’t enough to stop the bleeding, a bone rongeur or hemostat can be used to crush the bone at the bleeding spot. If one is accessible, an electrocoagulator or laser can be used to control bleeding.10 If these devices are not accessible, a high-speed handpiece with a diamond bur can be inserted and applied to the bleeding spot without irrigation to control bleeding. Alternatively, an alcohol light can be used to heat a periosteal elevator or other surgical equipment and apply them to the bleeding spot. Commercial hemostatics like Surgicel (Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ, USA) or bone wax may be useful.

Can a sinus lift fail?

While the majority of sinus lift surgeries are successful, they do have the potential to fail in some circumstances. Sinus lift problems that can lead to failure, albeit they are uncommon, include:

  • Because the grafted area lacks a blood supply, existing bone and bone transplant material are unable to combine.