Growth Factors to Enhance Healing

Platelet Rich Plasma

North Sound Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery can offer patients an opportunity to enhance their healing process with Platelet Rich Plasma. With this new technology, Dr. Hooe can concentrate a specific portion of a patient’s blood sample, which can then be placed at their surgical site to accelerate the healing process.

Platelets are cells found in the blood and they are an integral part of the healing process. They are among the first cells to arrive at a site of injury, and platelets are necessary for blood to clot. When tissue is injured, platelets release growth factors, thus stimulating surrounding cells to multiply and repair the injury. Platelets release biochemical signals to other cells in the bloodstream, causing them to accumulate at the site of injury and participate in the healing process. Platelet Derived Growth Factor (one of many factors released by platelets) is responsible for stimulating new blood vessels to grow into a healing wound. When enough platelets are concentrated at a site of injury, the body’s healing mechanisms are concentrated as well. In summary, adding a concentrate of platelets to a surgical site will stimulate tissue repair. Healing progresses more quickly, more comfortably, and more completely.

As with medical blood tests, only a small amount of blood is needed to prepare PRP gel. Blood is drawn from a vein as it would for any medical blood test. Processing in the Centrifuge takes about 15 minutes and is completed while the surgical site is being prepared. For more information about PRP and Growth Factors, click here: http://www.harvesttech.com/education/intro.html