A Lip Flip Could Give You the Full Lips You Want
Beautiful, plump lips are a goal for many. Today, you have options when it comes to filling out your lips, and the lip flip is an increasingly popular choice. Here’s why.
Restore Your Smile’s Foundation: What to Expect from a Sinus Lift
You’ve decided to restore your smile to enjoy the cosmetic and functional benefits of a healthy mouth. You may need some foundational work first.
At Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi, expert oral surgeon Dr. Michael Nichols can guide you through the smile restoration process so that you feel confident every step of the way.
A dental implant is often part of a smile restoration, but you may need to start with a different procedure — a sinus lift.
Your mouth and sinuses
Your sinuses are empty cavities located above your top teeth, behind your cheeks, on either side of your nose. The roots of your upper teeth may extend into a sinus cavity.
If you’ve lost any of those teeth, a thin piece of bone may be the only thing separating your mouth from your sinuses.
How a dental implant works
A dental implant is the best way to replace missing teeth because it provides both a crown, the part of the tooth you can see, and a prosthetic tooth root. The first step in the implant process is placing a titanium post in the bone to anchor your new tooth.
Once the bone heals around the post, it can support the crown. The post serves as a tooth root.
If you don’t have enough bone to support the titanium post, your implant won’t work as designed. In such cases, you need a bone graft; a sinus lift is a type of bone graft.
During the procedure
With a sinus lift, Dr. Nichols makes an incision to reveal your jawbone. He then carefully lifts the membrane lining your sinus cavity. That’s why the procedure is called a sinus lift.
Dr. Nichols fills the space between the newly lifted sinus membrane and your jawbone with bone grafting material. After that, he closes the incision.
The procedure is followed by a few months of healing. You may experience swelling or bleeding in the first few days after a sinus lift. For the most part, however, you should be able to go about your daily routine as you heal.
Once the bone graft integrates with your natural bone, the implant process can proceed.
Begin your smile restoration journey
Undergoing a smile restoration is a personal decision, and what the process looks like depends on your individual situation. You may not need bone grafting at all, or you may need a sinus lift.
Working with a highly trained surgeon like Dr. Nichols at Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi is the best way to ensure a safe and successful smile restoration. Call our office in Flowood, Mississippi, today to schedule your appointment.
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