diff --git a/fs/ext4/fsync.c b/fs/ext4/fsync.c
index e10206e7f4bb..093c359952cd 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/fsync.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/fsync.c
@@ -44,30 +44,28 @@
  */
 static int ext4_sync_parent(struct inode *inode)
 {
-	struct dentry *dentry = NULL;
-	struct inode *next;
+	struct dentry *dentry, *next;
 	int ret = 0;
 
 	if (!ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_NEWENTRY))
 		return 0;
-	inode = igrab(inode);
+	dentry = d_find_any_alias(inode);
+	if (!dentry)
+		return 0;
 	while (ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_NEWENTRY)) {
 		ext4_clear_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_NEWENTRY);
-		dentry = d_find_any_alias(inode);
-		if (!dentry)
-			break;
-		next = igrab(d_inode(dentry->d_parent));
+
+		next = dget_parent(dentry);
 		dput(dentry);
-		if (!next)
-			break;
-		iput(inode);
-		inode = next;
+		dentry = next;
+		inode = dentry->d_inode;
+
 		/*
 		 * The directory inode may have gone through rmdir by now. But
 		 * the inode itself and its blocks are still allocated (we hold
-		 * a reference to the inode so it didn't go through
-		 * ext4_evict_inode()) and so we are safe to flush metadata
-		 * blocks and the inode.
+		 * a reference to the inode via its dentry), so it didn't go
+		 * through ext4_evict_inode()) and so we are safe to flush
+		 * metadata blocks and the inode.
 		 */
 		ret = sync_mapping_buffers(inode->i_mapping);
 		if (ret)
@@ -76,7 +74,7 @@ static int ext4_sync_parent(struct inode *inode)
 		if (ret)
 			break;
 	}
-	iput(inode);
+	dput(dentry);
 	return ret;
 }