Patent ID: 8241291

Claim:
A sinus membrane lifting instrument, the instrument comprising: an elongated handle portion extending longitudinally along a longitudinal axis of the instrument; an angled neck extending longitudinally at an upward angle outward from the handle portion toward a tip along an axis that forms an obtuse angle with the longitudinal axis of the instrument; an inflection portion extending upward within an upper end of the angled neck supporting the tip along an axis that forms an obtuse angle with the axis of the angled neck; the tip being disc-shaped and supported on and by and extending at an upward angle from an upper end of the inflection portion of the angled neck and having (i) a smooth upwardly curved upper surface for positioning by the angled neck against an exposed portion of the sinus membrane and (ii) a flat lower surface extending rearward from and opposite the direction of the inflection portion along an axis that forms an obtuse angle with the axis of the inflection portion; the inflection portion in combination with the angled neck and tip comprising sinus membrane tension sensing means for a user of the instrument; and the instrument being capable of (i) gently lifting a portion of a sinus membrane from the bony floor of a patient's sinus to form a small open pocket in the sinus membrane between the bony floor and the sinus membrane and (ii) then laterally moving over the bony floor and turning and further lifting the sinus membrane within the open pocket to render the pocket ready to receive bone grafting material which when cured will form additional bone for supporting a dental implant, all without causing damage to the sinus membrane.