A sinus lift adds bone height in the upper back jaw by raising the floor of the sinus above it and packing graft material into the space created. It is done so an implant has enough bone to hold onto.
No payment taken here. Your price is confirmed after a clinical assessment - and that is the price you pay.
01
What a sinus lift is
A sinus lift adds bone height in the upper back jaw by raising the floor of the sinus above it and packing graft material into the space created. It is done so an implant has enough bone to hold onto.
The short answer. A sinus lift is preparation, not treatment in itself. A closed lift is £150 a site and an open lift with a membrane is £365 - against about £650 and £1,100 privately in the UK.
Nobody wants a sinus lift for its own sake. You have one so that an implant becomes possible where a scan says it currently is not.
02
Why the upper back jaw runs out of bone
Two things happen at once. When an upper molar is lost the bone that held it starts to shrink, because nothing is loading it any more. At the same time the sinus cavity above slowly expands downward into the space.
Squeezed from both directions, the ridge that is left can be only two or three millimetres deep - nowhere near enough for an implant. This is why the answer to "can I have an implant here" so often depends on how long the tooth has been missing.
03
Closed and open sinus lifts
Closed, or crestal, at £150. Approached through the implant channel itself and the sinus floor is tapped gently upward. Suitable where a few millimetres are needed. Less invasive, quicker healing, and the implant often goes in at the same appointment.
Open, or lateral window, at £365. A small window in the side of the jaw gives direct access, so more bone can be added and a membrane placed. Needed where there is very little height. The implant usually follows after months of healing.
The CBCT scan decides which, by measuring what is actually there. It is not a preference.
04
What Materials are Used?
We use named, traceable graft materials. These may be:
Your own bone (small shavings) mixed as needed
Processed bone mineral or synthetic bone with a long safety record
A membrane to protect the graft while it heals
Your plan lists exact brands and batch numbers for full transparency.
05
Sinus Lifting Process: Step by Step
Building the strong foundation needed for your implants. Safe, proven, and effective.
01Plan
Consultation & 3D Planning
Photos, exam, and a CBCT scan measure bone height, sinus shape, and safe areas. We discuss options, timelines, and costs in plain English. You receive a clear written plan.
02Surgery
Treatment Day
You are made numb with local anaesthetic (sedation available). We prepare the site, raise the sinus membrane with gentle instruments, and place the graft. If stable, we may place the implant same-day.
03Heal
Healing Phase
The area can feel full or tender for a few days. Simple pain relief, cool packs, and rest help. The new bone forms over 4–6 months (sometimes 6–9 months for large lifts).
04Secure
Implant Placement / Uncovering
If the implant wasn't placed on day one, we place it once the new bone is strong. If it was, we uncover it later and begin the abutment and crown steps.
05Restore
Final Tooth
After the implant fuses with the new bone, we fit your custom crown or bridge and carefully check your bite for a natural feel.
The record
The Process in Pics
07
What a sinus lift feels like
Done under local anaesthetic with sedation available. You feel pressure and hear tapping - the tapping is the part people remember, and it sounds far more dramatic from inside your head than it is.
Afterwards, expect swelling in the cheek for a few days and possibly some bruising. A little blood-tinged discharge from the nostril is normal and not a sign anything has gone wrong.
08
The rules that protect a sinus lift
Do not blow your nose for two weeks. Dab it. This is the rule that matters most.
Sneeze with your mouth open, so pressure does not go up into the sinus.
No straws, no smoking, no diving, no strenuous lifting.
Sleep propped up for the first few nights.
Finish the antibiotics and use the decongestant as directed.
All of these exist to keep pressure off the graft while it settles. Two weeks of care protects months of healing.
09
Who can have a sinus lift?
Most people who need one. The scan is looking for healthy sinuses, no active infection, and enough remaining ridge to work from.
Chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps or a recent sinus infection mean waiting or treating that first. Heavy smoking substantially raises the failure rate. Uncontrolled diabetes slows healing. None of these is automatically disqualifying, and all of them are better raised at the assessment than discovered afterwards.
10
How long does a sinus lift take to heal?
Grafted bone takes four to nine months to mature enough to hold an implant, depending on how much was added. A closed lift with simultaneous implant placement heals alongside the implant.
Once integrated, the new bone is permanent and behaves like the rest of your jaw - and once an implant is loading it, it has a reason to stay, which is exactly what the original tooth loss took away.
11
Alternatives to a sinus lift
Short implants at £550 a tooth can sometimes fit the bone that is already there and avoid the graft entirely. Always worth asking about before agreeing to surgery.
Angled placement - tilting an implant to find bone in front of the sinus - is the same principle that makes All-on-4 work without grafting.
A bridge from the teeth either side, or simply accepting the gap, are both reasonable. A missing upper molar is not a cosmetic problem, and not everybody needs it replaced.
Sinus, bone and graft
How a sinus lift builds the bone
Above the upper back teeth sits the sinus, and when a tooth there has been missing for a while the bone beneath the sinus thins until there is not enough to hold an implant. A sinus lift raises the floor of the sinus and packs new bone under it. This is what it involves.
01
Why the bone is missing
When an upper back tooth goes, the sinus slowly expands downward into the space the root left and the ridge of bone shrinks from below. After a few years there can be two or three millimetres of bone where an implant needs eight or more. Nothing is wrong; it is what that bone does.
02
Seen on the scan
A cone-beam CT shows the sinus and the floor of bone beneath it in three dimensions and to the millimetre. It tells the surgeon how much height is missing, whether a lift is needed at all, and which of the two approaches is right.
03
Two ways in
Where a little height is missing, the floor is lifted gently from below through the implant site itself, and the implant is often placed the same day. Where more is needed, a small window is opened in the side of the bone, the membrane is lifted and the space is filled, and the implant follows once the graft has hardened.
04
The graft material
What goes under the lifted membrane is a granular material that your own bone grows through and replaces over several months. The plan names which one.
Material
What it is
How it behaves
Best for
Your own bone
Bone collected from your jaw during the same procedure.
Integrates fastest; limited in amount; a second site.
Small lifts where a little is enough.
Bovine bone mineral
Purified mineral scaffold of animal origin.
Holds its volume well; decades of evidence; slower to replace.
Most lateral-window lifts.
Synthetic
A man-made calcium phosphate.
No animal or human origin; replaced by your own bone over time.
Anyone who prefers a synthetic material.
A mixture
Your own bone mixed with a scaffold.
The healing of your own bone with the volume of the scaffold.
Larger lifts.
Six steps from scan to implant
How the lift is done
An appointment of about an hour under local anaesthetic, then a quiet week and a wait of several months for the graft to become bone.
01The scanA cone-beam CT measures the bone under the sinus and shows exactly where the membrane sits.
02The planThe approach and the graft are chosen on the scan, and the implant position is planned at the same time.
03The accessThrough the implant site, or through a small window in the side of the bone, opened with an ultrasonic tip that cuts bone but not soft tissue.
04The membrane liftedThe thin sinus membrane is eased upward with rounded instruments to make the space.
05The graft placedThe space is packed with graft material and covered with a collagen membrane; the gum is closed over it.
06The implantPlaced the same day where the bone allows, otherwise once the graft has hardened into bone, usually after several months.
Answered plainly
Sinus lifting: your questions answered
Still not sure? A clinician talks it through before you commit to anything.
A closed lift is £150 a site, an open lift with a membrane is £365. Graft material is £120 per cc. UK private equivalents are around £650 and £1,100.
Is a sinus lift painful?
Not during, under local anaesthetic. Afterwards it is swelling and pressure rather than sharp pain, easing over several days.
Can I have the implant at the same time?
With a closed lift, often yes. With an open lift, usually not - the graft needs months to mature first.
How long before I can fly?
Usually a few days, and your plan is built around it. Pressure changes are the reason it is not the same evening.
What if the sinus membrane tears?
It is the commonest complication and it is normally repaired during the same procedure with a membrane. Occasionally it means stopping and returning later.
Why must I not blow my nose?
Because the pressure pushes directly against the graft you have just paid for. Two weeks of dabbing protects months of healing.
Will it change my voice or my breathing?
No. The volume involved is tiny relative to the sinus and it does not affect breathing, smell or voice.
What is the graft material?
Usually processed mineral granules that act as a scaffold your own bone grows into and gradually replaces. The plan names what is being used.
Can I avoid it altogether?
Sometimes - with short implants, angled placement, a bridge, or by leaving the gap. Ask which of those applies before agreeing to surgery.
Why choose us
Why Choose Opus Smile for Sinus Lift
01UK-backed implant bone-building
02CBCT-planned sinus augmentation
03Safe, clear, modern
Our focus is your result. We set clear expectations, give honest guidance, and support you from first message to final crown. Every partner clinic is vetted for safety, outcomes, and patient experience. Your sinus lift is digitally planned with CBCT and delivered by internationally trained clinicians using named, traceable graft materials.
You keep the best of both worlds: significant savings versus typical UK private fees plus a written warranty and UK-based aftercare. No bait pricing. No pressure. We assess first, explain options, and confirm exact costs only after proper diagnostics.
Hear it from real patients. Explore verified reviews on Trustpilot and see before-and-after stories that show safe bone gains leading to stable implants.
Tell us what you need. We will price it in writing.
One message and a coordinator replies with an indicative plan and price. Send a photograph of your smile if you have one - it makes the answer better, and it is never a call unless you ask for one.
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