Bone Grafting & Sinus Lift in Bakersfield, CA

What Is Bone Grafting?

Bone grafting rebuilds lost or weakened bone. Surgeons place grafting material where bone has thinned or disappeared. The graft acts as a scaffold. Your body’s own bone cells grow into it over time, creating new, living bone.

Many dental implant patients benefit from some form of bone grafting before or during implant placement. Needing a graft is common, not a setback.

Types of Bone Grafts We Offer

Not every patient needs the same procedure. We choose your graft type based on when and where bone loss occurred.

Socket Preservation

We use this immediately after a tooth extraction. Grafting material fills the socket right away, before bone has a chance to collapse. A membrane keeps gum tissue out, giving slower bone cells room to grow. This preserves the socket’s natural shape for a future implant.

Ridge Augmentation

We recommend this when the bone has already shrunk. Ridge augmentation rebuilds a larger section of jawbone to restore its original form. It often takes longer than socket preservation since more bone needs regenerating.

Guided Bone Regeneration

This technique uses a barrier membrane alongside grafting material. The membrane guides new bone growth while keeping soft tissue from interfering. We often use this approach for more complex bone defects.

What Is a Sinus Lift, and Why Would I Need One?

Your upper back teeth sit close to your sinuses. When you lose a molar, your sinus floor can expand downward into the space. This leaves too little bone for a stable implant.

A sinus lift solves this problem directly. The procedure raises the sinus membrane and adds bone material beneath it. This creates the height your implant needs to succeed.

How We Perform Sinus Lifts

We begin with detailed imaging. Cone beam CT scans show us your exact bone height and sinus boundaries. This planning step determines which surgical approach fits your case.

For most patients, we use the lateral window technique. We make a small incision in the gum to expose the jawbone. We then lift the sinus membrane gently and place graft material into the new space.

In select cases, a less invasive method works better. The vertical approach creates a small hole below the sinus through the jawbone itself. We reserve this technique for patients who need less bone height.

What Should I Expect During Recovery?

Healing time depends on your specific procedure. Bone typically needs four to twelve months to mature before implant placement, depending on your specific case. Some patients qualify for same-day implant placement instead.

Mild swelling and discomfort are common in the first few days. We’ll walk you through aftercare in detail, and sticking to it makes a real difference in how smoothly you heal.

Smoking and conditions like diabetes can slow things down, so we will discuss anything that might affect your recovery before we even get started.

Why Choose Us for Bone Grafting in Bakersfield, CA

Bone grafting and sinus lift surgery demand precision. A small miscalculation can affect implant success for years. Dr. Saifee trained at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, with an advanced focus on full-mouth reconstruction.

Dr. Sanger has placed implants since 1990. Her experience covers thousands of grafting and sinus lift cases. Together, they bring decades of combined surgical judgment to every treatment plan.

We also use Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) techniques during grafting procedures. These methods use your body’s own growth factors to speed healing. Our digital imaging tools let us plan your graft with exceptional accuracy before we ever begin.