L-PRF (Platelet Rich Fibrin) in Centennial, CO
When Dr. Barney removes a tooth, places an implant or performs a bone graft, he can add a healing material made from a small sample of your own blood. It is called L-PRF — leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin — and it is prepared here in our Centennial office, during your procedure.
Nothing is added to your blood. No anticoagulant, no animal-derived thrombin, no clotting agents. Your blood is drawn and spun once, and what comes out is a soft clot of your own fibrin holding your own platelets and white blood cells. Dr. Barney presses it into a thin membrane or a small plug and places it in the surgical site.
Because those cells are held inside the fibrin rather than floating in a liquid, they release their growth factors gradually as the membrane breaks down, instead of all at
once.
Is PRP better than L-PRF?
PRP — platelet rich plasma — was the earlier generation of this idea, and Dr. Barney used it for years. We no longer offer it.
PRP required an anticoagulant and often a cow-derived clotting agent, a larger blood draw, and it produced a liquid. L-PRF needs nothing added, takes less blood, and produces a solid membrane that can be placed, layered and sutured where it is wanted.
It is, in short, a small piece of concentrated healing tissue made from your own blood, shaped into something a surgeon can place, suture and work with.
How we make it
- Two to four small tubes of blood are drawn, about 9 mL each — less than PRP required. If you are having IV sedation, the draw comes through the line being placed anyway.
- The tubes spin for 12 minutes in an IntraSpin system — a centrifuge built and regulated for this one purpose, run on the same fixed protocol every time — while Dr. Barney prepares for your procedure. It adds no waiting time to your visit.
- He lifts the clot from each tube, presses it into a membrane or plug, and places it in the site.
When Dr. Barney uses it
L-PRF is an addition to a procedure, not a procedure on its own, and not a replacement for a bone graft. He uses it during sinus lifts, some extractions, socket preservation and ridge augmentations, and after some wisdom tooth removal cases.
He does not use it in every case, and will say so when he does not think it will change your result.
What the research supports
L-PRF supports soft tissue healing. Pooled clinical trials of extraction sites associate it with better soft tissue healing and a lower rate of dry socket — the most consistent finding in this literature. Its role is the soft tissue rather than the bone volume, which is why Dr. Barney uses it alongside grafts rather than in place of them.
Is it safe?
It is entirely your own blood with nothing added, so there is no possibility of rejection and no donor who could pass on an infection. The draw carries the ordinary minor risks of any blood draw. Patients with bleeding disorders, or taking blood thinners, need their case considered individually — Dr. Barney will review your history and medications first.
Questions Patients Ask
Will my insurance cover it?
Usually not. Most dental plans do not cover autologous blood products, so expect this to be out of pocket. It will be on the itemized treatment plan you receive at your consultation, before anything is scheduled.
Can L-PRF replace a bone graft?
No. Where bone volume needs rebuilding, L-PRF is used with graft material, not in place of it.