Plasma Therapy Speeds Healing Process at Implant Areas
Plasma Therapy Speeds Healing Process at Implant AreasWhat could be better than using the body’s own regenerative powers to grow bone and soft tissue safely and quickly? James Rutkowski DMD, PhD raised this question at the recent annual scientific
Plasma Therapy Speeds Healing Process at Implant Areas
What could be better than using the body’s own regenerative powers to grow bone and soft tissue safely and quickly? James Rutkowski, DMD, PhD, raised this question at the recent annual scientific meeting of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.
The question was fielded to draw attention to the use of platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP), which Rutkowski says shows strong potential for accelerating the healing of dental implant procedures.
Rutkowski, editor of the Journal of Oral Implantology, reports that platelet-rich plasma therapy can accelerate bone and tissue growth and wound healing, and help assure long-term success of dental implant placements.
“For dental implant procedures, PRP treatments can jump start bone growth and implant adherence in just 2 weeks,” Rutkowski says, “which cuts down the time between implant placement and affixing the permanent crown.”
SHRINKING THE RISK OF ALLERGY AND REJECTION
Platelet-rich plasma is obtained from a small sample of the patient’s own blood. It is centrifuged to separate platelet growth factors from red blood cells. The concentration of platelets triggers rapid growth of new bone and soft tissue.
“There is very little risk because we are accelerating the natural process in which the body heals itself,” Rutkowski says. “PRP speeds up the healing process at the cellular level, and there is virtually no risk for allergic reaction or rejection because we use the patient’s own blood.”
For dental surgery applications, Rutkowski explains that PRP is mixed as a gel that can be applied directly in tooth sockets and other sites. It also is effective in cases when bone grafts are required to foster proper bone integration for implants.
Growth factors in PRP preparations help the grafts bond faster with the patient’s own bone. Rutkowski reported that in one of his studies there was increased radiographic bone density during the initial 2 weeks following PRP treatment when compared to sites that did not receive PRP treatment.
“Accelerated healing is a goal we’ve been seeking in implant dentistry and we now have treatment that activates the natural healing process. It is a very promising development for implant dentistry,” Rutkowski explains. He estimates approximately 10% of practicing implant dentists have used PRP treatment and predicts it will become more common as studies continue to be performed.
Source: American Academy of Implant Dentistry
