PRF therapy: your own blood instead of a foreign material
It sounds more complicated than it is. Before the operation blood is drawn from a vein — one or two tubes, as for an ordinary test. The tube is spun in a centrifuge for a few minutes and a dense jelly-like clot comes out of it. That clot is placed into the socket or under the gum. This is PRF: not a drug and not something from a pharmacy, but a concentrate of your own platelets and proteins, the ones already responsible for healing.
What PRF is, and why it is not a cosmetic injection
The abbreviation stands for platelet-rich fibrin. The confusion comes from cosmetic medicine, where blood is also spun in a centrifuge — but there it is turned into a liquid for injecting into the skin. In dentistry we are interested not in the liquid but in the dense clot.
Blood separates in the centrifuge by density. Red cells settle at the bottom, clear plasma rises to the top, and in between a layer forms where platelets, white cells and fibrin are concentrated. That is the layer we need.
Platelets are not only about clotting. They release growth factors: signalling proteins that tell surrounding cells to start building. The fibrin acts as a scaffold — a mesh that new cells crawl into.
The key point: PRF contains nothing but your own blood. No anticoagulants, additives or preservatives — otherwise the fibrin would not form a membrane. That is why there is no risk of allergy or rejection.
When it is used
Difficult extractions. After a wisdom tooth or a tooth with a large lesion the socket is deep and a natural clot often fails to hold. PRF fills the cavity with a dense membrane that does not wash out.
Socket preservation. Bone at the site of an extracted tooth shrinks fastest in the first three months. If an implant is planned there later, the socket is preserved straight away — PRF is used either alone or together with a bone graft.
Implantation. The membrane is placed around the implant and under the gum so that the soft tissue heals more tightly.
Bone grafting and sinus lift. PRF is mixed with the graft material: the clot binds the granules together, making them easier to place, and a membrane closes the access window.
Gum work. In recession coverage and soft-tissue grafting the membrane adds volume and speeds up integration of the flap.
The general logic is simple: PRF helps where the wound is large and there is little tissue around it.
What the day of surgery looks like
Blood is drawn immediately before the procedure — fibrin starts clotting at once, so a membrane cannot be prepared in advance.
The nurse takes one to four tubes from a vein, depending on the scope of work. The tubes go straight into the centrifuge for eight to twelve minutes. During that time the surgeon administers anaesthetic and begins the operation.
The finished clot is taken out of the tube and either used as it is or pressed flat into a thin membrane, depending on where it is going. Then it is placed into the wound and the site is sutured.
For the patient all of this adds about fifteen minutes to the visit and one needle in the arm. Nothing else changes: the anaesthetic, the sensations during surgery and the aftercare are the same.
What it actually delivers, and what it does not
Honestly about expectations, because PRF attracts a lot of exaggeration.
What it gives: less swelling and less pain in the first days; a lower risk of alveolitis — inflammation of an empty socket, the so-called dry socket; faster closure of the gum over the wound; better binding of graft material during bone augmentation.
What it does not give: PRF does not grow bone by itself. It speeds up and directs healing, but if bone is missing a graft material is needed — the membrane does not replace it. Nor does it guarantee that an implant will integrate: that depends on hygiene, smoking, general health and surgical technique.
It is a supporting tool that makes a predictable result better. Not a miracle that rescues a hopeless situation.
Who should not have it, and what it costs
There are few contraindications, and almost all of them concern the blood.
It is not done in clotting disorders, while taking anticoagulants without agreement from the prescribing doctor, in thrombocytopenia, during acute infections, and in blood cancers. Any medication you take regularly must be mentioned before surgery — that includes cardiac and hormonal drugs.
Separately: if you tolerate blood draws poorly, say so in advance. It is handled with the position of the chair and a couple of minutes of rest, but the team should know.
PRF therapy — from UAH 3,000. It is a separate line in the price list, in addition to the cost of the operation itself. Whether you need it is something the surgeon says after an examination and an X-ray — and the answer is not always yes. For a simple extraction of a healthy tooth there is usually no point.
Frequently asked questions
Does it hurt?
One needle in a vein, like an ordinary blood test. The surgery itself is done under anaesthetic, and PRF adds nothing to those sensations.
Can there be an allergy or rejection?
No. The membrane contains nothing but your own blood, with no preservatives or additives. A rejection reaction is impossible by definition.
How much blood is taken?
One to four tubes, roughly 10–40 ml. For comparison, a standard blood donation is 450 ml.
Could the wound simply be sutured well instead?
Often that is exactly what is done — for a routine extraction it is enough. PRF is for cases where the wound is large, bone is scarce or healing is predictably difficult.
Does PRF replace bone graft material?
No. It speeds up healing and binds the granules, but it does not add bone volume itself. If bone is missing, grafting is needed.
Can it be done in diabetes?
Usually yes, and in diabetes it is often particularly appropriate, since healing in these patients is slower. Controlled blood sugar and agreement with the endocrinologist are required.
How long does preparing the membrane take?
Eight to twelve minutes in the centrifuge. It runs in parallel with the anaesthetic, so the visit is about a quarter of an hour longer.
Is this the same as plasma lifting in cosmetic medicine?
The principle is similar — spinning your own blood. The result is different: cosmetic medicine makes a liquid for injection, dentistry makes a dense membrane placed into the wound.
Dental implantation, bone grafting, sinus lift, soft tissue grafting.
All articles by this doctor →Clinic on Instagram ↗Book a consultation with the surgeon
The surgeon will look at your X-ray and say whether PRF is needed in your case. A consultation with a specialist costs UAH 690.
Or book by phone 067 478 88 78
Book a consultation with the surgeon
The surgeon will look at your X-ray and say whether PRF is needed in your case. A consultation with a specialist costs UAH 690.
Book now