How Platelet Rich Fibrin unlocks healing, your healthiest smile
Dentistry by Shane Nelson, DDS brings out the best in your smile with pleasant care that treats you like an extended member of our dental family. Our office in Overland Park, Kansas, also upholds the strictest safety standards and leans in on cutting-edge techniques and technologies.
Platelet Rich Fibrin complements our focus on a safe, comfortable, and exceptional patient experience.
An introduction to PRF
Platelet Rich Fibrin refers to the isolation of specific cells and substances within the blood. These substances include leukocytes, immune cells, fibrin, or growth factors. Growth factors are those groups of proteins that stimulate and promote cell differentiation and division within specific tissues. They are of interest to healthcare providers, including dentists, due to their ability to regenerate lost or deteriorated tissues and to accelerate wound healing at treatment sites or following therapies to resolve disease and restore healthy structure and function.
So, just how is PRF prepared or isolated from the rest of the blood? We can safely and gently take a sample of your blood to create a powerful, autologous therapy. Autologous treatments are considered low-risk because they use your body’s own substances. So, there is no risk of rejection or other adverse effects associated with the likes of donor tissues or synthetic substances.
After the sample is drawn, we place the blood in a centrifuge machine. The centrifuge rapidly spins the blood. This process helps to extract and concentrate the powerful, healing growth factors. No chemical is added. The process is entirely natural, using your blood!
There are many applications for PRF at the dentist’s office. After all, think of the many ways we need to support healing and tissue regeneration. Some of these applications include introducing PRF to tissues:
- Following the extraction of a tooth
- As part of periodontal therapy to treat gum disease (we may place PRF in the pockets that form between the teeth and gums)
- To reduce the risk of complications following the removal of teeth, including wisdom tooth extractions (think: dry socket)
- Over the course of building up bones and gums during gum and bone grafting processes for dental implants
- As injections in cavitations and abscesses in the maxilla (upper jaw) and mandible (lower jaw)
Of course, this is just a partial list of ways PRF can support optimal treatment outcomes, prompt and predictable healing, and the long-term health and beauty of your smile. To find out more about this process and how you may benefit, call (913) 297-7800. The office of Dentistry by Shane Nelson, DDS in Overland Park, KS, welcomes your questions and looks forward to meeting with you.
