Platelet Rich Fibrin or PRF is a by-product of blood that is exceptionally rich in platelets. PRF has long been used in hospitals to accelerate / enhance the body’s own healing process.

The blood platelets perform several essential functions in the body, including blood clot formation and the release of growth factors that help to heal wounds. These growth factors stimulate cells to produce new host tissue as quickly as possible, which is why platelet rich fibrin is so effective in the post-treatment healing process.

There are several ways in which PRF can be used in clinical dentistry:

Bone Grafting For Implants – Enhancing bone grafting procedure in preparation for dental implant placement and also in the repair of diseased dental implants.

Bone Repair – PRF can be used to enhance healing of bone grafts used to repair bone defects due to trauma as well as attempts to regenerate bone around teeth affected by periodontal disease.

Pocket Reduction Surgery – PRF can enhance healing during treatment of periodontal pockets around teeth affected by periodontal disease.

Soft Tissue Augmentation – PRF can enhance healing during soft tissue augmentation to repair recession / thin tissue defects.

Reasons for platelet rich fibrin treatment

Platelet rich fibrin application is now widely used to expedite the post-procedure healing process and is completely safe. Since the blood used will come from the patient’s own body, disease transmission is not a factor. Almost all patients report a much greater degree of comfort immediately after their procedure when using PRF.  There are also several more distinct advantages of PRF:

• Reduce Infection Risk – PRF, which contains the patients own cells to fight infection is smeared thickly on the wound after the procedure that seals the wound.  In addition, PRF contains the patients own infection fighting cells thus overall lowering the risk of post operative infection.
• Accelerated Healing – The saturation of the wound with PRF helps increase a concentration of growth factors, thus enhances healing.
• Safety and Convenience – PRF is a product of the patients own blood.  Disease transmission is a non-issue. The amount of blood needed is small and can be collected during a routine periodontal procedure.

What does platelet rich fibrin treatment involve?

The dentist will initially assess if your candidate for PRF treatment.  A small sample of your blood will be collected during a scheduled treatment. The blood will be placed into a centrifuge to separate the platelet rich layer from the other blood contents.

Depending on the procedure, PRF is incorporated into the treatment as well as applied topically to seal the surgical site. This will expedite your healing and decrease the amount of discomfort following the surgery.

If you have any questions about treatment with platelet rich fibrin or would like to find out if you are a candidate and can benefit from this treatment, please contact our office today to schedule an appointment.