In some cases, there is not enough bone left to support dental implants, because a large amount of the original bone may have been resorbed following tooth loss or long-term gum disease. In these cases, dental bone grafting is used to restore the bone to its previous form.

Depending on how much bone was lost, absorbable or non-absorbable membranes as well as bone substitutes may be used. In severe cases, however, the use of autologous bone may be necessary. Autologous bone is harvested from another part of the patient's body and transplanted to the desired site. In dental bone grafting, block grafts are typically harvested from the chin area or the anterior mandibular ramus using local anaesthetics. In recent years, implant manufacturers have started to produce increasingly thin but robust implants which may render bone graft increasingly unnecessary in certain cases in the future.

As one of the few practices in Switzerland, we are also able to reconstruct large defects using autogenous bone grafts from the oral cavity. We use the shell technique developed by Prof. Khoury, which is highly regarded worldwide.

A sinus lift is the dental surgical lifting of the bony floor of the maxillary sinus in order to create space and volume for the placement of one or more dental implants in the posterior region of the upper jaw.
Unfortunately, due to the expansion of the maxillary sinus, there is often too little bone available in this region to anchor implants in the bone.
In the internal sinus lift or sinus lift according to Summers, the floor of the maxillary sinus is surgically lifted using a tapping technique.
In the external sinus lift, this is done through a lateral window in the wall of the maxillary sinus.
The lining of the maxillary sinus remains intact and new bone forms in the area of the resulting cavity within the next few months.
If possible, we also use the minimally invasive Bennex method. Here, even if there is very little bone available in the area of the large molars, no window is prepared in the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus, but the membrane of the maxillary sinus (Schneider's membrane) is lifted completely internally over the implant gallery by means of special instruments using an ultrasound device (piezosurgery).

Sinus lifts are a very predictable, safe method that is also well documented in the specialist literature and have been used successfully by us for several years.

Our experienced team will be happy to answer any questions you may have about bone augmentation.