Revolutionary Device Set to Reduce Treatment Time

Orthodontist patients are set to have their treatment times cut by 50% when a new teeth straightening device is introduced in September.

The battery and motor operated device called AcceleDent is said to speed up the teeth straightening process after it was found that teeth respond better to a vibration sensation than a constant force, it is designed to accelerate the process of resorption of old bone and deposition of new bone cells.

AcceleDent, which is attached to a patientís mouth, is designed to be used for twenty minutes a day and the sensation has been described as ëbarely noticeableí by users.

Vice president of Clinical Affairs and Technology Development, and developed the system, Brent Tarver said: ìSome patients have said that the device is like a massage for the teeth.

The device will be distributed through orthodontists initially on a limited basis. Broad distribution is not expected until 2010.

Research taken before the turn of the millennium led to the development of the new revolutionary device, University of Illinois researchers are credited as the first to discover that the bone re-modelling process is accelerated by vibration.

Osteoporosis uses a similar technique as part of its treatment for bone fractures and British Dental Association scientific advisor, Professor Damien Walmsley, said: ìThe BDA looks forward to seeing further research and the development of this technique.

Patients can expect to see this new device used in selected practices as early as September.

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