The process of straightening teeth is becoming faster than ever! At Winchester Dental, we are pleased to provide the newest options to speed orthodontic treatment timeframes, including an orthodontic acceleration device and an acceleration procedure. Depending on the details of a patient’s case, either option by itself or the two together may be effective in reducing the overall time needed to straighten teeth. In this interview, Gio Iuculano, DDS explains.
Which orthodontic acceleration device is available to speed the treatment timeframe?
We offer the Propel VPro5™, a device that patients with clear aligners can use for just five minutes a day to speed up their orthodontic progress. It works with high-frequency vibrations to seat the aligners optimally. New VPro5 patients begin at a lower frequency and gradually work up to full vibration frequency of the device.
How much treatment time does the Propel VPro5 device eliminate?
Previously, patients wearing clear aligners would switch out their trays every 14 days. More recently, the manufacturers of clear aligners have begun to recommend that patients switch trays every seven days. When patients use the VPro5, they can switch their trays every five days.
Does the VPro5 cause pain or discomfort?
No—in fact, the opposite is true! The VPro5 helps decrease the soreness on the teeth that are moving.
Which acceleration procedure is available to speed the treatment timeframe?
For eligible patients, we now offer micro-osteoperforation (MOP). During this procedure, we make tiny dimples in the bone between teeth. This softens the bone and allows the teeth to move faster. The bone regenerates and hardens again after the teeth have moved.
Does the MOP procedure cause pain or discomfort?
The procedure is not painful, though it requires numbing of the treatment area. It takes ten minutes or so. Patients should not expect any pain after the numbing agent wears off or the next day.
When a patient chooses the combination of both acceleration options, what are the benefits?
The combination of both options makes the most difficult tooth movements more predictable and therefore easier to accomplish with clear aligners. When we use both options, we find we’re having to do fewer revisions with our patients who wear clear aligners.
The combination of VPro5 and MOP treatment also makes it possible for a patient to switch out their clear aligner trays every three days. Straightening results that we previously needed two years to accomplish now require less than a year.