Bone Graft and Sinus Lift

What Is a Bone Graft?

A bone graft is a surgical procedure to increase the volume of a jawbone that does not have enough bone for an implant. Graft material is placed where bone is missing and is usually covered with a protective membrane. Over time the material is replaced by the patient’s own bone, creating a solid base for the implant.

Why Does the Jawbone Shrink?

• When the area is left empty for a long time after a tooth is extracted
• In advanced gum disease
• After many years of wearing a removable denture
• After trauma, a cyst or an infection

Bone loss is fastest in the first months after a tooth is extracted. So if you are considering an implant, planning early often means a smaller graft is needed.

Graft Materials

The graft can be the patient’s own bone, processed bone of animal origin or synthetic material. Which material is used depends on how much bone is missing and where. When needed, healing can be supported with PRF obtained from the patient’s own blood.

What Is a Sinus Lift?

In the back of the upper jaw, the sinus can expand downwards after teeth are lost, leaving too little bone height for an implant. In a sinus lift, the thin membrane lining the floor of the sinus is gently raised and graft material is placed underneath. This creates the bone height needed for the implant.

If only a little bone height is missing, the procedure is done with the closed technique through the implant site and is often completed in the same session as the implant. If more bone is missing, the open technique is preferred, in which a small window is made in the side wall.

The Process and Healing

Bone grafts and sinus lifts are mostly carried out under local anaesthesia. If the bone gives enough support, the implant can be placed in the same session. Otherwise we wait for the graft to turn into bone and place the implant later. This takes a few months, depending on the procedure and the size of the graft.

Bone grafting and sinus lifts require expertise in oral and maxillofacial surgery. At our practice, planning and surgery are carried out personally by Dr. Seçil D. Sümengen Yazıcı. When bone loss is very severe, zygomatic implants or subperiosteal implants are also considered.

Aftercare: What to Pay Attention To

• Apply cold compresses to the outside of your face at intervals for the first 48 hours.
• After a sinus lift, do not blow your nose forcefully for the first weeks and keep your mouth open when you sneeze.
• Ask your clinician about flying, diving and heavy exercise during healing.
• Smoking reduces the success of the graft, so it should be avoided during healing.
• Take the medication provided regularly and do not miss your check-ups.

Content: Dr. Seçil D. Sümengen Yazıcı, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon · Last updated: 29 September 2026