Course Dates
Each course runs Wednesday through Friday, ending at 12:15 p.m. on the third day. Breakfast and lunch are provided each day.
Course Overview
Expand your surgical skills in sinus augmentation, bone grafting, and guided bone regeneration through a comprehensive, hands-on course led by Dr. Blake Adams.
This expanded program replaces our 3-Day Live Surgical Sinus Lift Course and combines model exercises with extensive cadaver training. You will practice crestal and lateral sinus lift techniques, graft stabilization with tenting screws, maxillary tuberosity graft harvesting, ramus block graft harvesting, and PTFE membrane placement.
You will also observe a live surgery and take part in an instructor-led discussion of treatment planning, surgical decisions, and postoperative management. All participant surgery is performed on models and cadavers; the live-patient component is observational.
Sponsored by Nobel Biocare, W&H, and Versah.
What You Will Practice
The course is structured to give each dentist supervised practice in:
- Crestal and lateral sinus augmentation.
- Tenting screw placement and space maintenance.
- Particulate graft placement and stabilization.
- PTFE membrane adaptation and fixation.
- Maxillary tuberosity graft harvesting.
- Mandibular ramus block graft harvesting, adaptation, and fixation.
- Flap release, tension-free closure, and suturing.
Cadaver anatomy influences the procedures available at each site. Model stations provide additional practice.
Who This Course Is For
- General dentists who already place implants and want to expand into sinus augmentation and more complex grafting.
- Implant-focused clinicians seeking structured practice with crestal and lateral sinus lift approaches.
- Dentists who want hands-on experience with ridge augmentation, autogenous graft harvesting, tenting screws, and PTFE membranes.
- Clinicians seeking greater confidence in case selection, graft stabilization, soft-tissue management, and complication recognition.
You should have a working knowledge of implant treatment planning, CBCT interpretation, basic surgical anatomy, flap design, and suturing. Prior sinus lift or advanced grafting experience is helpful but not required. Newer to implant surgery? Start with our Level 1 Dental Implant Cadaver Course.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Evaluate sinus and ridge anatomy on CBCT and identify factors that influence treatment selection.
- Explain indications and limitations of crestal and lateral sinus augmentation.
- Practice both sinus lift approaches on models and cadaver specimens.
- Plan horizontal and vertical ridge augmentation using GBR principles.
- Practice tenting screw placement, graft containment, and PTFE membrane stabilization.
- Practice maxillary tuberosity graft harvesting and mandibular ramus block graft harvesting, adaptation, and fixation.
- Apply flap design, tissue release, and suturing principles to support tension-free closure.
- Recognize common complications and discuss prevention, management, and referral considerations.
Course Agenda
| Time | Session | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00–10:00 a.m. | Sinus anatomy and treatment planning: CBCT review; residual bone and ridge assessment; sinus health; case selection; crestal versus lateral approaches; staged versus simultaneous implant placement; referral considerations. | Lecture and case discussion |
| 10:00–10:15 a.m. | Break | — |
| 10:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Sinus lift model workshop: Crestal access and controlled elevation; osseodensification-assisted approaches; lateral window design; membrane elevation; graft delivery and containment. | Demonstration and model training |
| 12:00–1:00 p.m. | Lunch | — |
| 1:00–3:00 p.m. | Cadaver lab — crestal sinus augmentation: Anatomical orientation, access preparation, membrane elevation, graft placement, and implant positioning considerations. | Supervised cadaver training |
| 3:00–3:15 p.m. | Break | — |
| 3:15–5:30 p.m. | Cadaver lab — lateral sinus augmentation: Flap and window design, membrane elevation, graft placement, barrier selection, closure, and simulated membrane perforation management. | Supervised cadaver training and debrief |
| Time | Session | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00–10:00 a.m. | GBR planning and model workshop: Defect assessment; graft material selection; horizontal and vertical augmentation; space maintenance; tenting screw placement; PTFE membrane selection, adaptation, and fixation. | Lecture, demonstration, and model training |
| 10:00–10:15 a.m. | Break | — |
| 10:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Cadaver lab — particulate grafting and GBR: Recipient-site preparation, tenting screws, graft stabilization, PTFE membrane placement, tissue release, and tension-free closure. | Supervised cadaver training |
| 12:00–1:00 p.m. | Lunch | — |
| 1:00–3:00 p.m. | Cadaver lab — autogenous graft harvesting: Maxillary tuberosity harvest; ramus block graft harvest; donor-site anatomy; block adaptation and fixation; adjunctive particulate grafting and membrane coverage. | Supervised cadaver training |
| 3:00–3:15 p.m. | Break | — |
| 3:15–5:30 p.m. | Live surgery observation and case review: Preoperative imaging and treatment plan, surgical observation, graft and instrument selection, closure, and postoperative planning. | Live observation and instructor-led discussion |
| Time | Session | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00–10:00 a.m. | Integrated cadaver workshop: Apply treatment planning to assigned defects; repeat selected sinus or grafting techniques; refine tenting screw placement, block fixation, membrane stabilization, and closure with individualized instructor feedback. | Supervised cadaver training |
| 10:00–10:15 a.m. | Break | — |
| 10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Complications and clinical integration: Sinus membrane perforation, bleeding, membrane exposure, graft infection or loss, donor-site concerns, postoperative monitoring, membrane removal considerations, staged treatment decisions, case-based assessment, and final Q&A. | Case discussion and assessment |
| 12:15 p.m. | Lunch and course conclusion | — |
Live surgery observation uses an implant or augmentation case selected on clinical need and patient consent; it is not necessarily a sinus lift. Breakfast, lunch, registration, and breaks are scheduled separately from instructional time. Attendance verification and a course evaluation support your CE documentation.
Who Teaches It
Led by Dr. Blake Adams
Implantologist
Dr. Adams completed a 3-year implant residency through Loma Linda University, where he served as chief surgical resident from 2020 to 2021, and he holds a Masters of Implantology through UNLV and the California Implant Institute. He is a speaker for Nobel Biocare with a focus that includes bone grafting and advanced implant placement, and he teaches part time in the Center for Implant Dentistry at Loma Linda University.
He leads every lecture, model workshop, and cadaver session in this course, and gives individual feedback at your station.
Reserve Your Seat
Tuition is $4,950, or 2 monthly payments of $2,475. It includes 20 CE hours, all lectures, model workshops, and supervised cadaver training, the live surgery observation and case review, and breakfast and lunch each day.
Ten dentists. Hands-on at the cadaver.
Choose your date and payment option on the registration page. Questions first? Call or text us.
Or call or text (602) 730-1676
Sinus Lift & Grafting Course FAQs
Do I operate on live patients in this course?
No. All participant surgery is performed on models and cadaver specimens. On Day 2 you observe a live surgery and join an instructor-led review of the treatment plan, surgical decisions, and postoperative management.
Do I need an Arizona dental license?
No. Because you do not treat patients in this course, a dentist licensed in any U.S. state can attend without a temporary Arizona license.
How much experience do I need?
You should already place implants and have a working knowledge of treatment planning, CBCT interpretation, surgical anatomy, flap design, and suturing. Prior sinus lift or advanced grafting experience is helpful but not required.
How many CE hours does the course provide?
20 instructional hours: 8 on Day 1, 8 on Day 2, and 4 on Day 3. Meals, registration, and breaks are not counted toward instructional time.
Can I split the tuition?
Yes. Choose 2 monthly payments of $2,475 when you register. The first payment is charged at registration and the second one month later.
Can my dental assistant attend?
No. This course is limited to ten dentists, and assistants do not attend.
Can I transfer to a later course date?
Yes, up to 30 days before your course start date. Call or text (602) 730-1676 and we'll move you to the date that works.