Absolutely not! Bone grafts are performed in our office on a daily basis and are considered an outpatient procedure. During the process, patients are typically sedated to ensure comfort. Pain during the healing process should be minimal and once the graft is complete, patients will be ready for their dental implants. A bone graft is the first step in achieving a beautiful replacement tooth.
In the case of a sinus lift procedure, we use equine bone to expand the graft. Equine bone offers two advantages as it doesn't dissolve as quickly as human bone and is microscopically similar to human bone. This creates a "scaffold" that supports additional bone growth in the sinus. Healing time for this procedure usually takes 8-12 months due to the anatomy of the sinus cavity.