When the upper jaw doesn't have enough bone height to support a dental implant, a sinus augmentation rebuilds that foundation. At Village Dental — Wake Forest, we plan every lift with 3D cone-beam imaging and offer IV sedation if you'd rather sleep through it.
The upper back jaw runs right up against the floor of your maxillary sinus — the air-filled space behind your cheek. When an upper molar has been missing for a few years, the bone in that area resorbs, and the sinus quietly drops down into the empty space. By the time you decide you want an implant, there often isn't enough bone height left to anchor one. A sinus augmentation, sometimes called a sinus lift, is how we add it back.
Most of the patients we see for this in Wake Forest fall into one of two groups. They either lost an upper molar a long time ago and have been chewing on the other side ever since, or they had a recent extraction and the CBCT scan we took showed the sinus is sitting too low to place a dental implant directly. Folks come in from Wakefield, Heritage, Rolesville, and just down the Capital Blvd / US-1 corridor — usually after years of avoiding that side of the mouth.
It's worth saying what a sinus lift isn't: it isn't a sinus surgery in the ENT sense, and it doesn't change how you breathe. It's a controlled, dental-side procedure that lifts the membrane lining the sinus floor and slides bone graft material underneath it. Once the new bone matures, an implant can be placed in the same area exactly as it would in healthy bone. For larger cases it pairs naturally with traditional bone grafting in the surrounding ridge.
The procedure itself takes 60 to 90 minutes — most of the timeline is the months of quiet healing that follow.
We start with a low-radiation CBCT scan that shows the exact bone height and the shape of your sinus floor. From there we decide whether a small crestal lift through the implant site is enough or whether a lateral-window approach is the safer call.
The site is fully numbed and, if you've chosen sedation, you're comfortably under. We make a small access point, gently raise the sinus membrane, and pack particulate bone graft into the new space. A few sutures and you're done in about an hour.
The graft needs four to nine months to mature into solid bone. We re-image with CBCT to confirm it's ready, then place your implant in the same office — and a few months later, the final crown.
Sinus augmentation is one of the procedures where 3D planning genuinely changes the outcome. A regular two-dimensional X-ray can't tell us how the sinus floor is shaped, where the septa (small bony walls inside the sinus) sit, or where the blood supply runs. Our cone-beam CT scan reconstructs all of that in three dimensions so we can see the access window we need to make, the volume of graft material to order, and whether a more conservative crestal lift is realistic before we ever pick up an instrument.
For graft material, we use clinically proven particulate — typically a combination of allograft (processed human bone) or xenograft (processed bovine bone) that your body slowly remodels into your own bone over the healing period. A resorbable collagen membrane goes underneath to protect the sinus lining. These materials have decades of literature behind them in implant dentistry, and they're the same options you'd see at most academic implant programs. We'll show you the scan and explain the plan on the screen at your consultation, the same way we walk through any of our dental implant cases.
A few practical notes for Wake Forest patients. We quote the price up front and put it in writing before you commit, including any portion your insurance is expected to cover. We're a judgment-free office — if you've been avoiding this for years because the tooth fell out a long time ago, that's exactly the situation a sinus lift was designed for. And we keep daily same-day windows open for follow-ups, suture checks, and any post-op concerns. If anxiety is the sticking point, ask about sedation dentistry — most sinus lifts at Village Dental — Wake Forest are done with oral or IV sedation when patients want it.
The price of a sinus lift depends on which approach is needed, how much graft material the site requires, and whether the implant goes in the same visit. A small crestal lift performed alongside a single implant is the lower end of the range; a larger lateral-window lift across multiple sites is the upper end. We give you a written estimate before any work starts, and we verify your insurance benefits up front so you know what's covered. Village Dental — Wake Forest is in-network with the major dental insurance providers below.
Please note: We do not accept Medicaid. If you're uninsured, ask about the Village Dental Membership Plan — it bundles your preventive visits and gives you a discount on additional treatment, including sinus augmentation and the implant work that follows.
New patients: Your first exam and X-rays are free. If you've been putting off an upper-back implant because you were told there wasn't enough bone, the consultation is the right place to start.
Right on the Capital Blvd / US-1 corridor — minutes from downtown Wake Forest and easy to reach from Wakefield, Heritage, and Rolesville. Same-day appointment windows are reserved daily for consultations and post-op checks.
Cost depends on which approach is used (a less invasive crestal lift through the implant site is lower than a lateral-window lift), how much graft material is needed, and whether the implant is placed at the same visit. We give you a written estimate before any work begins, and we review insurance benefits up front. We're in-network with Delta Dental Premier, Cigna PPO, BCBS Grid, and United Concordia Elite. Medicaid is not accepted. Call (919) 373-3520 for a quote tied to your CBCT scan.
Yes. Village Dental — Wake Forest, at 11480 Capital Blvd, Suite 115, performs sinus augmentations in-house using 3D cone-beam imaging and the same team that places your dental implant afterward. Patients in Wakefield, Heritage, Rolesville, Youngsville, and North Raleigh come in regularly for upper-jaw implant work. Call (919) 373-3520 to schedule a consultation and CBCT scan.
The procedure itself usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. A small crestal lift can sometimes be done in the same visit as the implant. A larger lateral-window lift typically requires four to nine months of healing before the implant can be placed, depending on how much bone needed to be added. We track healing with follow-up CBCT imaging so the implant goes in only when the new bone is ready. Call (919) 373-3520 with questions about your timeline.
No, the procedure itself isn't painful. The site is fully numbed with local anesthetic, and most patients feel pressure rather than pain during the lift. We offer oral and IV sedation options if you'd rather sleep through it. Afterward there's mild swelling and tenderness for a few days, controlled with over-the-counter or prescription pain relief and a short course of antibiotics. Call (919) 373-3520 to talk through sedation options.
Often partially. Sinus augmentation is usually billed as a medical-adjacent dental procedure, and many plans cover a portion when it's needed to support a planned dental implant. We're in-network with Delta Dental Premier, Cigna PPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield Grid, and United Concordia Elite, verify benefits before treatment, and provide a written estimate of out-of-pocket cost. We do not accept Medicaid. Call (919) 373-3520 with your insurance card handy.
For most patients with moderately thin upper-jaw bone, a sinus lift plus a standard dental implant is the simpler, more conservative choice and is what we perform in-house. Zygomatic implants — which anchor into the cheekbone — are reserved for severe bone loss across the entire upper arch and are typically referred to a specialist. Your CBCT scan and consultation determine which path fits the case. Call (919) 373-3520 to schedule an evaluation.
For about two weeks afterward, don't blow your nose, drink through a straw, lift heavy objects, or fly if you can avoid it — anything that creates pressure across the sinus can disturb healing. Sneeze with your mouth open. Once the graft has integrated, the new bone is part of your jaw and is intended to support an implant for life, the same way natural bone supports a tooth. We send you home with written aftercare instructions. Call (919) 373-3520 if anything feels off in the first two weeks.
Most adults missing one or more upper back teeth who want a dental implant are candidates. The CBCT scan determines whether the bone is borderline (where a small crestal lift may work alongside the implant) or genuinely thin (where a larger lateral lift is needed first). Active sinus infections, untreated gum disease, and uncontrolled diabetes need to be addressed before surgery. Call (919) 373-3520 to schedule a consultation.
Yes. The whole sequence — CBCT, sinus augmentation, healing checks, dental implant placement, and the final crown — is handled at Village Dental — Wake Forest, 11480 Capital Blvd, Suite 115, just off the Capital Blvd / US-1 corridor and a short drive from Wakefield Plantation and Heritage High School. One office, one chart, one team. Call (919) 373-3520 to schedule.
Small tears in the sinus membrane occasionally happen and are usually repaired in the same visit with a collagen membrane that seals the area before the graft is placed. The procedure can typically be completed as planned and healing proceeds normally. In rare cases, we pause the lift, close the site, and try again after the membrane heals — your safety wins over the timeline every time. Call (919) 373-3520 with any concerns about complications.