IDSLI
Platelet-Rich Fibrin
Platelet Rich Fibrin permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate.
What is Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF)?
PRF is exactly what the name suggests!
It’s a by-product of blood (plasma) that is rich in platelets. Until very recently, its use has been confined to the hospital setting. This was due mainly to the cost of separating the platelets from the blood (thousands) and the large amount of blood needed (one unit) to produce a suitable quantity of platelets. New technology permits the doctor to harvest and produce a sufficient quantity of platelets from only 10 cc of blood drawn from the patient while they are having outpatient surgery in our office.
Why all the excitement?
Platelet Rich Fibrin permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate. During the healing process, the body rushes many cells and cell-types to the wound in order to initiate the healing process. One of those cell types is platelets which result in growth factors. These GF (platelet derived growth factors PGDF, transforming growth factor beta TGF, and insulin-like growth factor ILGF) function to assist the body in repairing itself by stimulating stem cells to regenerate new tissue. The more growth factors released sequestered into the wound, the more stem cells stimulated to produce new host tissue. Thus, one can easily see that PRF permits the body to heal faster and more efficiently.
A subfamily of TGF, is bone morphogenic protein (BMP)
MP has been shown to induce the formation of new bone in research studies in animals and humans. This is of great significance to Dr. Etess who places the dental implants. By adding PRF, and thus BMP, to the implant site with bone substitute particles, Dr. Etess can now grow bone more predictably and faster than ever before.
PRF has many clinical applications
Including: bone grafting for dental implants, onlay and inlay bone grafts of the mandible and maxilla, sinus lift procedures, and ridge augmentation procedures, repair of bone defects creating by removal of teeth or small cysts and repair of fistulas between the sinus cavity and mouth.
PRF Advantages
- PRFis a by-product of the patient’s own blood, therefore, disease transmission is not an issue.
- Convenience: PRF can be generated in the doctor’s office while the patient is undergoing an outpatient surgical procedure, such as placement of dental implants.
- Faster healing: The supersaturation of the wound with PRF, and thus growth factors, produces an increase of tissue synthesis and thus faster tissue regeneration.