The medical field is continually seeing technological advances, and the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery field is no exception. Our doctors frequently use Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (or PRGF) and Leukocyte Platelet Rich Fibrin (or LPRF) to help our patients recover from wound healing after surgery.
Plasma Rich in Growth Factors and Leukocyte Platelet Rich Fibrin
PRGF and L-PRF are by-products of the blood that are rich in platelets and are essentially just methods of using your blood to heal better and faster because of the growth factors inherent in human platelets (called alpha globules) that speed up wound healing.
Surgical Uses
Before your procedure, a tiny amount of blood will be drawn and processed to speed up the healing that comes from platelets. By separating certain plasma proteins out of your blood, they are useful for supporting bone and tissue growth to accelerate your body’s natural healing abilities. This processed blood, rich in platelets, is then used in the graft material within the surgical area to help your body heal more effectively after your surgery. One of the best things about this process is that, coming from your body, both PRGF and L-PRF are both safe and effective as they lower your risk of getting a post-surgery infection.
Faster Healing
Our skilled doctors, Dr. Andrew Bluhm, Dr. Steve Dorsch and Dr. Gene Vandervort successfully use PRGF and L-PRF to help our patients heal faster after surgery by supporting your body’s natural healing process. They have consistently used these methods to treat patients whether from having bone grafts done, like sinus lifts or ridge augmentation, as well as implants, bone repair, soft tissue grafting and extracting teeth.
PRGF Benefits
PRGF is safe without risking disease transmission while being convenient to access with just a simple blood draw. Thanks to an increase in stem cell differentiation, your body is able to heal quickly and effectively. In addition, the cost is also lower than having the procedure done in a hospital or blood bank.
L-PRF Benefits
L-PRF can now be done outside of a hospital setting thanks to the new technology that allows our doctors to harvest and create enough platelets from just 55 cc’s of your blood drawn to help you heal faster after your surgical procedure. Platelets have various functions, like creating a blood clot and releasing growth factors into your surgical site so that your body can repair itself through the stimulation of the stem cells to create new tissue.
While PRGF and L-PRF may not always be needed, they are certainly beneficial in those cases when they are. Our Loudoun Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery team is happy to speak with you about plasma growth factors in Ashburn and Leesburg Virginia. We welcome you to call our Ashburn office at 703-729-8700 or our Leesburg office at 703-771-1771 to learn more or to schedule a consultation.