A Safe, Predictable and Efficient Way to Create a Lateral Window during Sinus Floor Elevation
A lack of vertical dimension of alveolar bone at the posterior maxilla is a common challenge in implant dentistry. Typical causes are the atrophy of the alveolar bone after tooth loss, or a pneumatized maxillary sinus, or both. Advances in material science and nanotechnology now allow for stronger implants with shorter length. Short implants of 8 mm or less are commonly used in cases of limited vertical space, with a promising survival rate that is comparable to more standard length implants (Lemos, Ferro-Alves, Okamoto, Mendonca, & Pellizzer, 2016). In other cases, however, it is impossible to place an implant without performing a sinus floor elevation (SFE). The lateral window sinus lift is the classical approach to improving residual bone height, first described over 40 years ago (Boyne & James, 1980). Development and refinement of surgical instruments and techniques then allowed us to elevate the sinus floor, albeit to a lesser extent, with predictable results using a transalveolar approach (Pjetursson & Lang, 2014). Both approaches result in implant survival rates comparable to implants placed in normal bone (Jensen & Terheyden, 2009). The clinical decision as to the surgical approach is mainly based on anatomical parameters including subantral bone height, sinus width, sinus floor anatomy, the presence of sinus septum, etc. (Stacchi et al., 2020).
