The lateral sinus lift is a proven and widely-used procedure, but it is not without its risks. While major complications are rare, there are other complications, like sinus perforation, that can occur. Due some of the potential disadvantages, and the higher demands the lateral sinus augmentation places on both the patient and the surgeon, it is sometimes advisable to seek an alternative treatment plan.
In this video case, Dr. Gober shares an interesting alternative to the lateral sinus lift in a particular case he encountered. The patient presented at the office with an upper bridge that had fallen out due to extensive caries on 2 & 4. In general, when first approaching a case like this, the normal treatment plan would have involved 2 implants and a 3-unit bridge. However, upon further examination of the patient, it was clear that the plan was not so simple. The problem was that in site #3, the sinus floor had taken over most of the bone in that area. In order to place an implant at the location, a lateral sinus augmentation would be necessary. However, after much consideration, especially considering the potential morbidity involved with the lateral sinus lift, an alternative treatment plan was devised where a 3rd implant would be placed, resulting in a 4-unit bridge between 2 to 5. After implants was placed, GBR was performed to address the substantial ridge defects by 3 and 5, and reinforce the buccal plate in the area. As demonstrated in several prior videos, the GBR utilized proven techniques and materials, which included DALI Mineralized Cortical Cancellous Bone and OsseoSeal collagen membrane. Following implant placement, and post-op follow (during some other issues were addressed), the implants were restored with 4-unit screw-retained bridge.
