Replacing maxillary posterior teeth with implants can be very challenging due to the position and anatomy of the maxillary sinus in relation to the roots of the teeth. In addition, pathology associated with maxillary posterior teeth can often be complex, with missing buccal and palatal bone walls. Surgical assessment and planning considerations are critical if predictable results are to be achieved with dental implants following grafting procedures.

This seminar will feature a HANDS-ON session where participants will carry out transcrestal and lateral window sinus floor grafting procedures.

In this seminar, the following questions will be addressed, with practical tips for increasing predictability and minimising complications:

• What are the treatment options to manage limited bone height in relation to maxillary molars that require extraction?
• How are complex socket wall defects e.g missing buccal and/or palatal bone walls, managed in a predictable way?
• How does sinus floor anatomy influence the choice of treatment options?
• What is the timing between extraction and grafting when the cortical bone at the sinus floor is missing due to pathology?
• With sinus floor grafting, when is a transcrestal (transalveolar) approach preferred over the lateral window approach?
• What options are there for transcrestal sinus floor elevation, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques?
• What options are there for opening the lateral window?
• With the lateral window approach, what materials and techniques are there for window preparation and grafting?
• Can lateral window sinus floor augmentation be combined with lateral ridge augmentation?
• What to do if there is a perforation of the sinus membrane?