Growth Factors
Bone morphogenic protein
Bone morphogenic protein is an isolated protein that induces specific cells in our body to form new cartilage and bone. During surgery, the BMP is soaked onto and binds with a collagen sponge. The sponge is then designed to resorb, or disappear, over time. As the sponge dissolves, the bone morphogenic protein stimulates the cells to produce new bone.
Platelet Rich Fibrin
Platelet rich fibrin (PRF) is a by-product of blood (plasma) that is rich in platelets. Until now, its use has been confined to the hospital setting. New technology permits doctors to harvest and produce a sufficient quantity of platelets from blood, which is drawn from the patient while they are having outpatient surgery.
Why all the excitement about PRF?
PRF 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. Platelets perform many functions, including the formation of a blood clot and the release of growth factors (GF) into the wound. The more growth factors released and sequestered into the wound, the more stem cells are stimulated to produce new tissue. Thus, PRF permits the body to heal faster and more efficiently.
s. This is of great significance to the surgeon who places dental implants. By adding PRF, and BMP, to the implant site with bone substitute particles, the implant surgeon can now grow bone more predictably and faster than ever before.
PRF Has Many Clinical Applications
PRF can be used to aid bone grafting for dental implants. This includes onlay and inlay grafts, sinus lift procedures, ridge augmentation procedures, closure of cleft and/or lip, and palate defects. It can also assist in repair of bone defects created by removal of teeth, or small cysts and repair of fistulas between the sinus cavity and mouth.
PRF Also Has Many Advantages
- Safety: PRF is 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 the placement of dental implants.
- Faster healing: The supersaturation of the wound with PRF, and thus growth factors, produces an increase of tissue synthesis and faster tissue regeneration.
- Cost-effectiveness: Since PRF harvesting is done in the doctor’s office, the patient need not incur the expense of the harvesting procedure in a hospital or at a blood bank.
- Ease of use: PRF is easy to handle and actually improves the ease of application of bone substitute materials and bone grafting products by making them more gel-like.
