A team of orthodontists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have created a device which they believe will speed up orthodontic treatment.
The device, called AcceleDent, is designed for use by patients at home. It features a thin mouthpiece attached to a small, sleek battery-operated handle. Patients are instructed to place the device in their mouth and bite down for 20 minutes a day.
While in the mouth, the device delivers a low-frequency pulsating vibration to the teeth. The researchers believe the vibratory forces, in combination with standard orthodontic treatment, will enhance the metabolism in bone tissue surrounding the teeth, thus allowing the teeth to move and straighten faster and more effectively.
Dubravko Pavlin, D.M.D., M.S.D., Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Orthodontics at the Health Science Center, worked with a team of investigators from OrthoAccel Technologies, Inc. of Houston to help develop the device.
His colleagues Ravikumar Anthony, B.D.S., M.D.S., M.S., clinical instructor of orthodontics, and Peter Gakunga, B.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., assistant professor of orthodontics at the Health Science Center, are now incorporating the device in an investigational study at the university.
Vibration therapy has been used in health care since the 1800s. More recently scientists across the world have documented positive results using the therapy in patients with osteoporosis, muscle loss and joint pain.
In the last decade NASA scientists reported that muscles atrophy relatively quickly and bones lose mass during prolonged exposures to weightlessness. Their solution was suggesting astronauts might prevent bone loss by standing on a lightly vibrating plate for 10 to 20 minutes each day while in orbit.
"We're taking this same concept and applying it to the orthodontic process," Dr. Pavlin said. "Teeth are surrounded by alveolar bone and are held in place by periodontal ligaments and gum tissue. These respond to applied orthodontic force, which allows for movement of the teeth through the bone.
?We believe the application of cyclic loading will not only increase the rate of tooth movement, but will also create a solid foundation of bone and adjacent tissues in the mouth and result in more stable outcomes for orthodontic treatment."
