If you have a dental implant procedure planned that involves the placement of an artificial tooth in the back of your mouth, then your oral surgeon may need to schedule a sinus lift procedure beforehand. A sinus lift allows your surgeon to place bone tissue between the jaw and the maxillary sinuses that sit across your cheekbones. Your sinuses are also elevated a small amount during the procedure so there is plenty of space for the implant to sit in the bone. Typically, bone will be taken from your own body and secured through the gum tissues. This entire process can cause some swelling across the sinus cavities and you will need to go through a healing process afterwards. To help make sure healing goes smoothly, try to keep yourself from sneezing during the healing period. A sneeze can cause air to expel from your nose at a top speed of 10 miles an hour, and this can cause the stitched bone graft to shift. The following tips can help you to avoid this.

Reduce Irritants

Sneezing occurs to remove the irritants that infiltrate the noise. Typical irritants include animal dander, dust, pollen, and bacteria. To reduce the vast majority of these irritants from your environment, use wet cleaning methods to thoroughly scrub your home before your sinus lift procedure. Also, invest in an air purifier that you can keep on during the healing period. One with a HEPA filter is best to remove 99.97% of all particles that are .3 micrometers and larger. This is ideal since dust, pollen, bacteria, soot, and a variety of other particles are much larger than .3 micrometers. 

You also should keep your windows closed to keep as much pollen and dust out of your home as you can, especially if you have allergy issues. When you leave your house, make sure to wear an allergy or dust mask, especially for the first few weeks after your operation. A mask with HEPA filtration is best, and so is one with a small activated charcoal filter. The charcoal filter will help to keep smoke and other vapors from reaching your nose and potentially causing you to sneeze. 

Clean The Sinuses

Another good way to keep yourself from sneezing is to gently rinse your sinuses once a day with a saline solution to get rid of any irritants that have entered the nose. If your oral surgeon has placed packing in your sinuses due to more extensive surgery, then you will need to wait until after the packing is removed to do this. When you are ready, purchase a small neti pot from your local pharmacy. Also, purchase some sea salt and some baking soda. Before you use your neti pot, place it in a pot of boiling water for several minutes to kill any and all bacteria that may be present on the device. You will also need to do this in between uses to make sure that you do not inadvertently introduce bacteria to your sinuses that may cause an infection to form. Using water that has been boiled and chilled in the refrigerator for the pot will help with this as well.

When you are ready, mix about one cup of water with one teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of baking soda. Place the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm the fluid and then add it to your neti pot. Tip your head down so it is facing the sink in your bathroom and then tilt your head at a 45 degree angle to the left. Place the spout of the neti pot in your right nostril and gently tip it so that water moves through the right nostril and out the left one. Use half the water in the pot and repeat the process on the left nostril. Hold a tissue up to your nose when the rinsing is completed to catch dripping water. 

For any further questions or information, talk with an oral surgeon, such as those at Oral Surgery Center.

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