Acceledent Device

[rbb]

I am considering getting braces or invisalign as I have a bad bite along with protruding and rotated front teeth. I was told by various orthodontists that it would take around 24 monthes of treatment time. As I am in my early forties I worry that this time may be a minimum and that treatment could drag on for considerably longer. One ortho mentioned the AcceleDent device, a vibrating mouthpiece which supposedly speeds up treatment by up to 50%. This seemed too good to be true. After perusing the internet it seems like alot of people are seeing good results from this device.

My main concern with AcceleDent is that the procedure is so new. I am typically a cautious person and worry about the safety of the device. I know that typically moving teeth too fast can cause problems, root resorption, etc. So if for instance you were to change out your invisalign trays once a week while not using AcceleDent, I believe that this could result in health issues. One question I have is that when using Acceledent how does an orthodontist know that the device is having it's intended effect of increasing bone remodeling and that it is actually OK to switch out invisalign trays once a week, etc? Could this vary from person to person. Also, is root resorption the only concern or are there other potential hazards of moving teeth too fast which one should worry about? If X-rays show
that the roots are doing OK, can one feel confident that no damage is being done?

Also, does anyone know how many people have actually completed treatment with this device as it has been used world wide for at least a few years now? I was able to find a clinical trial on the internet but it only included around 40 people. Does anyone know of any other existing studies?

It seems that a fair number of orthos are now offering treatment with Acceledent. Truthfully, I can't think of a reason why not to offer Acceledent, except for maybe wanting to proceed with caution.

The device seems very promising, I just wish the technology had been around for a while longer.

[Lexana]

I actually purchased a second-hand one because I was a bit skeptic too, and I figured there was less risk because I got it for less than half the cost. I've actually been pretty impressed with it. It really isn't anything more than an electric toothbrush with a mouth piece, however I was quoted 18-24 months for treatment (ceramic on top, metal on bottom), and I should be done in April (12 month mark for me). I stopped using it for the last few months, because I'm so close to being done and kept forgetting to use it, but overall I've been really impressed by it. It's a bit weird to get used to at first (strange feeling), but you get used to it.

[Lexana]

To answer some of your other questions ...

The girl who I bought mine from, finished here treatment and loved it.

From what I read on reviews, people using invisaline (I have ceramics on top, metal on bottom), they went by how well the next treatment fit. So if they next treatment set fit okay, they went ahead. No matter how well (or not well) it works, it really depends on the individual. Some people's teeth move faster, so determine when you are ready for your next phase of treatment will be based on your own teeth.

That's pretty much how my treatment worked. I didn't increase the number of ortho. visits I made or come in sooner, but the treatments that would normally have taken 3 months, we were able to get through in my standard 4-5 week visits. That's how I was able to tell that I was seeing progress mid-treatment.

[lilone]

I started using AcceleDent nearly a year into my treatment and the difference was very obvious. I'll now be finishing a year ahead of schedule. I didn't start until that time in my treatment because that is when it was approved for use in Canada, although it has been used in England and Australia for a while without negative effects. The reason it doesn't increase the chance of root resorption is because it doesn't move the teeth faster by force but rather by promoting bone re-modelling. I read that even before being used in orthodontics, the technology was used in orthopedics and so I guess they just figured it could be applied to teeth as well.
Personally, I'm really glad I decided to give it a try. For me, it was worth the money without a doubt.