Indirect Sinus Lift Surgery

Indirect sinus lift surgery is a minimally invasive dental procedure used to augment bone height in the posterior maxilla for dental implant placement when the maxillary sinus is too close to the alveolar ridge. It involves a crestal approach using osteotomes to gently fracture and elevate the sinus floor, creating space for bone graft material without direct visualization of the sinus membrane.​

Procedure Overview

The surgery starts with local anesthesia and exposing the residual alveolar bone, typically suitable for cases with 6-8 mm of bone height. Osteotomes of increasing diameter are tapped into the bone to lift the sinus floor by 5-6 mm, followed by graft insertion and often simultaneous implant placement. Techniques like hydraulic lift or Sinu-Lift systems may use saline or specialized tools for membrane detachment.​

Advantages

This method reduces surgical trauma compared to direct lateral window approaches, with lower risks of membrane perforation, shorter procedure times, and high implant survival rates of 93-100%. It allows single-stage treatment, better graft positioning, and avoids extensive incisions