If another dentist told you that you "don't have enough bone" for an upper implant, that's often not the end of the conversation — it can be the start of one. At Kentfield Dental, Dr. Soroush Ghaffarpour ("Dr. G") uses sinus lift and bone grafting to rebuild the upper jaw so implants can become possible, even in many cases other offices turn away. Every step is mapped with low-dose 3D imaging in our Kentfield office, and Marin patients from Greenbrae and Larkspur to Mill Valley appreciate a calm, conservative approach to a procedure that often sounds bigger than it usually feels.
What is a sinus lift and bone graft?
Your upper back teeth sit just below the maxillary sinuses — air-filled spaces above your jaw. When an upper molar or premolar is lost, the bone in that area tends to shrink over time, and the sinus can drift downward into the space. The result can be too little bone height to safely anchor a dental implant. A sinus lift (also called sinus augmentation) gently lifts the sinus membrane and adds grafting material in the space underneath, rebuilding the bone height an implant needs to hold.
Bone grafting is the broader term for restoring lost jawbone wherever it's needed. That can mean ridge preservation — placing graft material into a socket right after a tooth is removed so the bone is less likely to collapse — or building up a thin or narrow ridge before implant placement. Grafted bone acts as a scaffold: over a few months, your body tends to replace it with your own living bone, creating a stable base. For many patients, these procedures are what can make implants possible at all rather than settling for a removable denture or bridge.
How we do sinus lifts and bone grafting in Kentfield
One of the biggest factors in a predictable graft is knowing exactly what's underneath the gums before we begin — and that's where our in-house technology can change the experience. Dr. G plans every sinus lift and graft from a Vatech Green X12 CBCT scan, a low-dose cone-beam 3D x-ray that shows the bone height, sinus shape, and membrane location in our Kentfield office. Instead of estimating from a flat film, we measure in three dimensions, so the surgical approach is mapped before any instrument touches tissue. For implant cases, that same scan lets us design a Formlabs-printed surgical guide on-site, so when it's time to place the implant it can go where the plan calls for. Doing the planning, imaging, surgery, and often the guide and restoration under one roof is the kind of thing most offices don't do — and it's why Marin patients can have much of the journey handled in one familiar place.
- Vatech Green X12 CBCT — low-dose 3D imaging to measure bone height, sinus anatomy, and membrane position before we begin
- Formlabs in-house 3D printing — surgical guides, models, and temporaries produced on-site, often same day
- 3Shape / Primescan 2 digital scanning — no goopy molds for planning your implant or restoration
- Soft-tissue dental laser — used where appropriate for cleaner, more comfortable tissue management
- Planning, surgery, and follow-up handled in one Kentfield office by Dr. G — no shuttling between offices
Why patients choose us for this
Can make implants possible when bone is too thin
A sinus lift rebuilds upper-jaw bone height so a dental implant can be placed where there wasn't enough bone before — often turning a 'no' into a realistic option for many patients.
3D-planned for precision
Because we plan from a low-dose CBCT scan in our Kentfield office, Dr. G can see your sinus and bone in three dimensions and tailor the approach to your exact anatomy rather than a one-size-fits-all technique.
Helps protect bone the moment a tooth is lost
Ridge preservation grafting placed right after an extraction can help keep the socket from collapsing, often preserving more of your natural ridge and simplifying any future implant.
Designed to be a durable foundation
Grafted bone is gradually replaced by your own living bone over time, which can create a stable base. Well-placed implants on healthy bone are designed to last for many years with good care.
Conservative and comfort-focused
Dr. G's aesthetics-first, conservative philosophy means doing only what your case truly needs — with sedation and comfort options discussed up front for anxious patients.
Everything under one roof
From CBCT planning to surgery to the eventual implant and crown, your care can stay with one team in one Kentfield location, which helps keep the plan consistent and the communication simple.
What to expect
3D consultation and CBCT planning
We start with a low-dose Vatech Green X12 CBCT scan and exam in our Kentfield office. Dr. G measures your bone and sinus in 3D, reviews it with you on screen, and explains what's needed and why.
The graft or sinus lift
With the plan set, Dr. G gently lifts the sinus membrane and places grafting material to rebuild bone height — or places a ridge-preservation or ridge-building graft where it's needed. Comfort and sedation options are arranged in advance.
Healing and bone maturation
Over the following months your body tends to replace the graft with your own living bone. We monitor healing and let the new bone mature so it can reliably support an implant.
Implant placement
Once the foundation is ready, we place the implant — often using a Formlabs-printed surgical guide designed from your CBCT, then restore it with a natural-looking crown when the time is right.
Your comfort matters. Sedation and comfort options are discussed up front, and Dr. G's calm, conservative approach is geared toward anxious patients — many find the procedure feels far smaller than it sounds.
Is a sinus lift or bone graft right for you?
The only way to know for certain is a CBCT scan and an exam, because the decision depends on exactly how much bone you have and where your sinus sits. That said, these procedures are commonly the answer when someone has been told the upper jaw can't support an implant. Dr. G will review your 3D scan with you on screen, explain what he sees in plain English (in English or Spanish), and walk through whether grafting, a sinus lift, or both could set you up for a successful implant. Many Marin patients who assumed implants were off the table find they have good options once the bone is rebuilt.
- You've been told you 'don't have enough bone' for an upper implant
- You're missing one or more upper back teeth and want implants instead of a denture or bridge
- You're about to have an upper tooth removed and want to preserve the ridge for the future
- Your upper back-tooth area has lost bone height over years of being missing
- You want a conservative, 3D-planned approach with sedation and comfort options available
Frequently asked questions
A sinus lift is a procedure that adds bone to the upper jaw beneath the sinus so a dental implant can be placed there. It gently raises the sinus membrane and packs grafting material into the space underneath, rebuilding the bone height that's needed to anchor an implant in the upper back jaw.
Not always — it depends on how much bone you have. You may need a sinus lift if your upper jaw doesn't have enough bone height below the sinus to hold an implant; a CBCT scan at our Kentfield office is the only way to know for sure, and many patients need only a minor graft or none at all.
Most patients are comfortable during the procedure with local anesthesia, and sedation options are available for anxious patients. Afterward, many people describe mild soreness or swelling similar to a tooth extraction, which is typically managed well with standard recommendations from Dr. G.
Healing usually takes a few months before the implant goes in, because the grafted bone needs time to mature into your own living bone. The exact timeline depends on your case and how much bone is being rebuilt — Dr. G reviews your personal timeline at the planning visit in our Kentfield office.
Often, yes. 'Not enough bone' usually means the foundation needs rebuilding first, and sinus lifts and bone grafting are designed to do exactly that. At Kentfield Dental we plan these cases in 3D and regularly help Marin patients who were told implants weren't possible explore realistic options.
Bone grafting is the broad procedure of rebuilding lost jawbone, while a sinus lift is one specific type used in the upper back jaw. Grafting also includes ridge preservation right after a tooth is removed and building up a thin ridge — all aimed at creating enough healthy bone to support an implant.
Yes — our Vatech Green X12 CBCT is a low-dose cone-beam scanner, and the 3D detail it provides is what makes precise, more careful surgical planning possible. Dr. G uses it to map your bone and sinus before any procedure so little is left to guesswork.
The cost depends on how much bone is being rebuilt and whether a sinus lift, ridge preservation, or both are needed, so we provide a clear estimate after your CBCT and exam. Kentfield Dental is a fee-for-service practice, and we'll walk Marin patients through the full plan and costs up front before anything is scheduled.