Patent ID: 8366443

Claim:
A method for implanting a dental implant in a maxilla of a dental patient, the maxilla having a paranasal sinus cavity lined with a sinus membrane, the method comprising: (a) providing the implant, the implant comprising a proximal portion configured for enabling a prosthesis to be mounted thereto and having at least one proximal opening, and a distal portion having a distal end and at least one distal opening at or in proximity to said distal end, said distal portion configured for being implanted with respect to the maxilla, and further comprising at least one internal passage providing fluid communication between said at least one proximal opening and said at least one distal opening; (b) forming a channel through the alveolar ridge of the maxilla, extending from an outside of the maxilla to the sinus floor of the maxilla; (c) installing the dental implant in the maxilla in the dental implant's required implanted position by inserting the implant via said channel, and concurrently creating a first space between the sinus floor and the sinus membrane, wherein at least a majority of said first space is formed by the distal displacement of said sinus membrane responsive to said distal end being incrementally projected in a direction towards the sinus cavity until the implant is seated in said implanted position with respect to the alveolar ridge, and wherein fluid communication between the outside of the maxilla and said first space is provided via said at least one passage and said at least one distal opening; and (d) providing via at least one internal passage and said at least one distal opening suitable bone graft material to said first space to form a sinus augmentation, wherein said at least one internal passage provides a direct line of sight between said at least one proximal opening and said at least one distal opening, wherein a part of the sinus membrane in abutment with or in proximity to said distal end is in the field of view of an image acquisition system, and further comprising monitoring in real time, using said image acquisition system, the sinus membrane during the displacement, and halting the displacement of the sinus membrane when a change of a color of the sinus membrane from a reddish color to a whitish color is observed.