The modified osteotome technique.

Patients who have been partially edentulous in the posterior segments for many years frequently present with reduced alveolar bone and/or enlarged sinuses. The choice of treatment for these patients will depend on the volume of residual bone, morphology of the alveolar crest, and amount of space available for the prosthesis. A new, minimally invasive surgical procedure using Summers osteotomes is described for the treatment of the edentulous posterior maxilla in which the bone thickness below the sinus is limited (> or = 5 mm). This suggested modified treatment is based on the use of a combination of osteotomes, drills, and screw-type implants with a rough surface texture.