Platelet Rich Plasma
Platelet Rich Plasma in Davis County
Platelet Rich Plasma
Accelerate Your Healing
Process
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is a key part of your blood that is essential for healing. Previously only available in hospital settings, new technology permits the doctor to utilize the patient’s own platelets to boost their recovery.
How Does Platelet Rich Plasma Work?
PRP permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate. During the healing process, the body rushes and cell types to the wound. One of those cell types is platelets, which perform many functions, like the formation of a blood clot and release of growth factors (GF) into the wound. These growth factors (GF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF), and insulin-like growth factor (ILGF) function to assist the body in repairing itself by stimulating stem cells to regenerate new tissue. The more growth factors directed to the wound, the more stem cells stimulated to produce new host tissue. Thus, Platelet Rich Plasma permits the body to heal faster and more efficiently.
A subfamily of TGF is bone morphogenic protein (BMP). Which has been shown to induce the formation of new bone. For a surgeon who places dental implants, this is pretty exciting. By adding PRP, and thus BMP, to the implant site with bone substitute particles, the implant surgeon can now grow bone more predictably and faster than ever before.
It has wide applications in oral surgery, including onlay and inlay grafts, sinus lift procedures, ridge augmentation procedures, and closure of cleft, lip, and palate defects. PRP can also help repair of bone defects created by removal of teeth or small cysts, and fistulas between the sinus cavity and mouth.
Ask your oral surgeon about the role Platelet Rich Plasma could play in your customized treatment plan, at your consultation appointment at Valley Implants and Oral Surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions About PRP
Is PRP safe? Yes. During the outpatient surgical procedure a small amount of your own blood is drawn out via the IV. This blood is then placed in the PRP centrifuge machine and spun down. In less than 15 minutes, the PRP is formed and ready to use.
Should PRP be used in all bone-grafting cases? Not always. In some cases, there is no need for PRP. However, in the majority of cases, application of PRP to the graft will increase the final amount of bone present in addition to making the wound heal faster and more efficiently.
Will my insurance cover the costs? Insurance doesn’t cover the cost of a PRP application, which is $400. However, we offer an out-of-pocket price of $90.
Can PRP be used alone to stimulate bone formation? No. PRP must be mixed with either the patients own bone, a bone substitute material such as demineralized freeze-dried bone, or a synthetic bone product, such as BIO-OSS.
Are there any contraindications to PRP? Very few. Obviously, patients with bleeding disorders or hematologic diseases do not qualify for this in-office procedure. Check with your surgeon and/or primary care physician to determine if PRP is right for you.