The aim of modern dentistry is not just to provide a patient with a beautiful smile. All procedures performed in the oral cavity, regardless of the degree of complexity, must not impair the general health of the patient, and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery from a complex procedure is as fast as possible. Although the best dental material is always the one provided by nature, the lack of one’s own teeth can now be rectified by a number of various procedures.
Platelet rich fibrin is a biomaterial widely used in oral surgery because it stimulates and accelerates the healing of soft and hard bone tissue. It is used for bone preservation after tooth extraction, tissue and bone regeneration, when raising the base of the maxillary sinus and to cover any bare tooth roots.
It is therefore also used in periodontology, maxillofacial and plastic surgery and otorhinolaryngology. It is obtained from a patient’s own blood, and consists of platelets, blood cells responsible for blood and plasma clotting, and blood fluid. It is in the platelets that there are special factors that promote healing and better blood circulation in the tissue.
The process of preparing the PRF is relatively simple. 20-60mL of blood is drawn from the patient which is stored in several test tubes and placed in a special device in which they are centrifuged for about 10 minutes. A gelatinous preparation with clearly separated parts, yellow (fibrin-rich platelets) and red (red blood cells) is obtained. The platelet-rich fibrin is separated from the rest of the composition and is immediately ready to be applied to the area where the specific surgery is to be performed.
Why is PRF such a miracle in dentistry? Because it is a completely safe, biocompatible preparation that does not contain any added synthetic ingredients or animal based extract and simultaneously encourages the patient’s own body to regenerate and heal rapidly. Its use combines the most advanced clinical developments and achievements in research with the more traditional wisdom of health – the wisdom of self-healing.
Dr. Joseph Choukroun developed the PRF technique in 2001. Our doctor, Goran Jovičević, has been studying the use of PRF in dentistry for many years through various seminars and courses, and in December 2016, he had the opportunity to learn and participate in a training course led by Dr. Choukroun himself. We would like to point out that he also participated in the education of Dr. Cleopatra Nacopoulos on the use of i-PRF in facial aesthetics.
