Patent ID: 7837707

Claim:
An internal procedure for closing a perforation in a patient's sinus membrane, comprising: creating an upward channel in bone leading to the sinus floor of the patient with an upper open end of the channel exposing a portion of the patient's sinus membrane sinus membrane including the perforation; selecting a patching material insertion instrument sized to extend upward into the channel and having an upwardly extending central support and upwardly extending outer supports slightly below and laterally spaced from the central support, the lateral supports being laterally movable toward and away from the central support; moving the outer supports inward against the central support and while the outer supports are so positioned applying a sinus membrane patching material to a top of the central support and upper surfaces of the outer supports and inserting the instrument upward within the channel until the patching material supported by the central and outer supports engage a lower surface of the sinus membrane and the perforation; and moving the outer supports away from the central support to laterally expand the patching material and form a patch covering the perforation.