Dental braces work by applying force to teeth in order to gradually realign them by reshaping surrounding bone. Although the time it takes for patients to wear braces varies considerably, it generally takes longer than one year. To help speed the process, OrthoAccel Technologies (Houston, TX) has developed the AcceleDent system, which uses vibration to help the process go considerably faster. The AcceleDent is a removable and non-invasive appliance that a patient wears in the mouth for 20 minutes daily. The device, which recently was cleared by the FDA, will soon be available in the United States, according to the manufacturer.
In a randomized clinical trial, the device demonstrated with statistical significance that it could accelerate teeth movement by 106% during the initial alignment phase and 38% to 50% during closure of extraction space. There was no evidence of damage of teeth roots or other adverse events caused by the appliance in the study.
“With an increase in rate of tooth movement observed in our study the orthodontic treatment time could be shortened by at least 5 months during the first two stages of orthodontic treatment,” explained Dr. Dubravko Pavlin, professor of orthodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in a statement.
The manufacturer has completed two clinical trials in the United States. “The results [of those studies] have consistently exceeded our expectations,” said Michael Kaufman, vice president of business development & marketing at OrthoAccel in a statement.
The AcceleDent has been available outside of the United States since October 2009 where it has been used in hundreds of orthodontic cases.
From the announcement:
The science behind the AcceleDent™ System is the result of years of research by many scientists including Dr. Jeremy Mao, Professor of Orthodontics and Zegarelli Endowed Chair at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York. Dr. Mao’s pioneering work in the early 2000’s, which was initially conducted while he was on faculty at the University of Illinois, Chicago, was paramount in establishing the therapeutic effect of pulsatile forces in accelerating bone modeling and remodeling in the orofacial region. […] Two independent U.S.A. clinical trials and hundreds of cases, in Europe and Australia, with children and adults treated with braces and AcceleDent™, demonstrate accelerated tooth movement.”
Press release: AcceleDent™ System, Used for Accelerated Orthodontic Tooth Movement, Receives United States FDA Clearance