You may or may not have heard of the L-PRF procedure. It is a procedure we frequently perform during extractions and implants to help improve the quality of bone. In this article, we’ll discuss many of the issues about L-PRF in greater detail and answer many of the common questions we receive at Harbour Pointe Oral Surgery & Advanced Dental Implant Center.
What is L-PRF?
When you suffer a small scrape on your knee, your body reacts by creating a clot to stop the bleeding, forms a scab, and then finally regenerates new skin. L-PRF, also known as Leukocyte-Platelet Rich Fibrin is similar. It is a platelet therapy that uses your own blood to help promote healing. It uses your body’s own white blood cells to promote natural bone growth.
L-PRF is a procedure that results in faster healing after oral surgery and other invasive dental procedures. It is a three-dimensional, autogenous combination of Platelet Rich Fibrin derived from the patient’s own blood.
Your oral surgeon will carry out a simplified chairside procedure. A sample of your blood is collected in a tube, just as it would be for a blood test. We then use a dedicated centrifuge to separate and concentrate certain important cells and active proteins by spinning your own blood.
This results in the production of a thin, compressed layer of platelet rich fibrin that is strong, pliable, and suitable for suturing. This natural fibrin network is rich in platelets, growth factors, and cytokines, all of which are derived from the blood platelets and leukocytes. The presence of these proteins promotes quicker healing, especially during the first seven days after the invasive procedure.
How and when is L-PRF used?
L-PRF can be applied to oral surgery procedures that require wound healing. In addition, L-PRF can also be used in combination with bone grafts to improve their handling properties and to promote their integration.
L-PRF provides a concentrated release of healing proteins. It creates a scaffolding to help direct healing and also forms a more efficient network for cells to communicate with other cells and tissues. Owing to the rich concentration of platelets and leukocytes within the L-PRF clot, the fibrin releases growth factors for up to 14 days after placement. This is the crucial time for healing to take place and allows healing to take place faster and more completely.
There are certain indications for L-PRF, which are:
- Coating of dental implants
- Ridge augmentations
- Bone defects
- Palatal defects
- Maxillary bone atrophy
- Sinus floor elevation
- Extraction sockets
- Recession coverage
- Wound management after surgical interventions
Besides, these conditions, patients at risk of surgery, such as smokers, diabetics, patients with poor immune systems, patients with wisdom tooth extraction, and patients with chronic pain can be safely treated with the L-PRF procedure.
Is L-PRF safe and painless?
L-PRF is a safe and relatively painless procedure. It is as painful as a simple blood draw. Because the procedure uses your own blood to create the fibrin clot, there are no additives present whatsoever. It also reduces the risk of allergy and side effects because your own concentrated platelets, with their own unique healing abilities, are re-introduced at the site of extraction or surgery.
There are certain properties of the fibrin clot created by the L-PRF procedure. These are:
- It is simple and ergonomic, with no heating, pipetting, or the second spin
- It is 100% natural, with no chemical additives or anticoagulants
- It allows for the slow and sustained release of growth factors for more than 7 days after the surgery
- It results in reduced pain and discomfort
- It improves wound healing
So, now you know more about the safety of the L-PRF procedure. At the Harbour Pointe Oral Surgery & Advanced Dental Implant Center, we offer our patients the L-PRF procedure to help them heal after oral surgery. We work individually with each patient and help alleviate any fears they may have about the L-PRF procedure often using sedation.
So, if you’re planning to have a scheduled oral surgery, we can discuss the possibility of the L-PRF procedure with your more.
For more information on the L-PRF procedure, contact Dr. Brian Hart or Dr. Kathleen Isdith at 425-353-1009 or at hporalsurgery@gmail.com.