Platelet Rich Fibrin “PRF” is a component of patient’s own blood that contains concentrated amount of growth factors. In order to process PRF there will be several vials of blood drawn. Your blood will be placed in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. This will activate the platelets, and make them release their growth factors. These growth factors are known to stimulate soft (gum) and hard (jaw bone) tissue healing. This in turn translates into faster and more predictable healing with less post-operative(after surgery) pain, infections, and inflammation. Which all around is a good thing for both, the patient, and the dentist. Since, IT is processed from patient’s own blood it is safe from disease transmission. It does entail drawing patient’s blood from a vein, usually the one in the arm.
There are risks and benefits that need to be considered before the procedure. Obviously, patients with bleeding disorders or hematologic diseases do not qualify for this procedure. People with needle phobia would have a hard time with the blood draw. As well, the quality and quantity of the patient’s PRF is dependent on patient’s general health, the healthier you are -the better your PRF will be. Check with your primary care physician to determine if PRF is right for you.
Do you need PRF? Application of PRF to the bone graft will increase the final amount of bone present in addition to making the wound heal faster and more efficiently. If you are considering immediate dental implants done, using IT in combination might eliminate the need for extra grafting procedure. One point to note, that for bone grafting PRF needs to have bone mixed in. It can either be the patient’s own bone, a bone substitute material such as demineralized freeze-dried bone, or a synthetic bone product. In other cases, such as sinus lifts, PRF membrane can be used alone. Dental profession keeps on discovering the many other uses of PRF that can be applied. Discussion with your dentist might be a conversation starter, whether this can be of use to you.
*** All blood drawing materials and needles, all the centrifuge processing containers are single use. Each procedure uses its own sterile materials and supplies.