If you've had an implant, a bone graft or a sinus lift at SDS Dental, you may have noticed us drawing a small amount of your own blood before the procedure. From this blood we prepare PRF (Platelet-Rich Fibrin), a natural healing aid made entirely from your own blood. Thanks to the growth factors it contains, PRF helps wounds heal faster and helps the graft integrate with the bone more quickly. In many cases it also does the same job as the synthetic membranes brought in from outside, so we can use it instead of them, with the added benefits of better biocompatibility, a lower risk of infection and a lower cost.
Most patients benefit from it without ever knowing its name. Here's what it is, why we use it so often, and what to expect if your treatment plan includes it.
Read the Full Guide
Tap a section to expand it
PRF stands for Platelet-Rich Fibrin. We take a small sample of your own blood (a few tubes, similar to a routine blood test) and spin it in a centrifuge for several minutes. This separates the blood into layers and concentrates the platelets and white blood cells into a natural fibrin membrane, without adding anticoagulants, chemicals or synthetic additives of any kind.
This fibrin is rich in growth factors, the same biological signals your body already uses to heal wounds, concentrated where they are needed. That is why PRF helps the soft tissue close faster and supports the graft as it integrates with the bone. We place it around the implant, lay it over the graft as a membrane or mix it into the graft material. Where it's needed after an extraction, we also place it in the socket.
PRF is not a single product. Depending on how the blood is spun and processed, we can prepare it in several forms, each suited to a different job:
- Membrane: the fibrin clot is pressed into a thin, flexible membrane. We use it to cover a bone graft or other surgical sites and defects, protecting them while the gum heals, often instead of a synthetic membrane.
- Mixed into the graft: PRF is cut into small pieces and mixed into the bone graft material, bringing its growth factors into the graft itself.
- Liquid PRF and sticky bone: spun for a shorter time, PRF stays liquid. Mixed with granular bone graft, it clots within minutes and binds the granules into a single, mouldable piece known as sticky bone. This keeps the graft stable in place, makes it easier to shape to the defect and helps stop particles from shifting during healing.
- Plug: a small PRF clot placed in an extraction socket where needed, to support healing of the site.
Which form we use, or which combination, depends on the procedure. In a bone graft, for example, we often shape the graft as sticky bone and cover it with a PRF membrane.
"I use PRF in most of my implant and grafting cases, for two reasons. First, the growth factors concentrated in PRF help wounds heal faster and help the graft integrate with the bone more quickly. Second, in many cases PRF does the same job as the synthetic membranes brought in from outside. Because it is made from the patient's own blood, it is far more biocompatible than those materials and rejection is not expected, and because it isn't a foreign material, the risk of infection is also lower.
In grafting cases I use PRF especially as a membrane covering the graft. It supports the closure of the soft tissue, and in my experience patients go through the days after surgery with less swelling and tenderness.
There's a practical side too. PRF is prepared chairside in about ten to twelve minutes and is more economical than imported synthetic membranes. As long as I can use what the patient's own body produces, I don't reach for a synthetic alternative unless I need to."
Dr. Seçil Duygu Sümengen Yazıcı
We use PRF most often with implant placement and in bone grafting and sinus lift procedures. Used on its own, it helps the surgical site heal faster. In grafting cases we also mix it into the graft material and place it over the graft as a covering membrane, often instead of a synthetic membrane.
In addition, for difficult extractions such as impacted wisdom teeth, we can place PRF in the socket where needed to support healing.
The process adds only a few minutes to your appointment and happens in the same visit as your main procedure:
1. Blood Draw
A small blood sample is taken from your arm, just as for a routine lab test, quick, and no different from any other blood draw.
2. Centrifugation
The sample is spun in a centrifuge for roughly ten to twelve minutes, separating it into layers and concentrating the platelets and growth factors into a fibrin matrix.
3. Preparing the Right Form
Depending on what your procedure needs, the fibrin is pressed into a membrane, cut and mixed into the graft, or kept liquid to bind the graft into sticky bone.
4. Placement
It's placed around the implant, over the graft or, where needed, in the extraction socket before the site is closed, right alongside your main procedure with no extra visit required.
See the full process in the video at the top of this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the only addition is a routine blood draw. Many of our patients tell us their recovery after surgery feels more comfortable.
Since PRF is made from your own blood, it's suitable for the large majority of patients. Your doctor will review your general health and any blood-related conditions during your assessment to confirm it's right for your case.
Because it's prepared chairside from your own blood rather than an imported synthetic product, PRF is typically more economical than alternative membranes. In many of our treatment plans it's already included rather than billed as a separate add-on. Your written plan will always make this clear.
Around ten to twelve minutes in the centrifuge. It's prepared during the same appointment as your main procedure and doesn't require a separate visit.
Curious whether PRF fits your treatment plan?
Send your photos or X-ray and your doctor will review your case personally, including whether PRF is recommended for your specific procedure.