AcceleDent Aura

The most common concerns that prevent some patients from commencing orthodontic treatment are the length of treatment time and pain. Orthodontists and patients alike have found a solution to these treatment barriers with AcceleDent Aura, a prescription-only, Class II medical device employing SoftPulse Technology, which has been proven to accelerate orthodontic treatment by as much as 50 per cent and reduce pain associated with treatment. AcceleDent has clearance in more than 40 countries and the body of research supporting its safety and efficacy continues to grow as more orthodontists and patients report positive results with this non-invasive, accelerated-treatment technology.

Medical literature has shown that the application of low-level pulsatile forces to bone can restore balance to the bone deposition and resorption cycle.^1,2. While their exact mechanisms of action are not understood, medical devices that transmit micro-pulses have been shown to prevent bone breakdown and to increase bone density in animal and human studies. Micro-pulse therapy continues to be researched as a viable treatment option for patients with osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Orthodontic tooth movement is the result of controlled manipulation of the bone deposition and resorption cycle using arch wires, springs, aligners and other appliances to apply force to teeth, which in turn alters the environment of the alveolar bone. Applying micro-pulse technology, such as that used in AcceleDent, in conjunction with orthodontic appliances has been clinically shown to accelerate this process. Published in the peer-reviewed Seminars in Orthodontics, this prospective, double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial has demonstrated that gentle, non-invasive vibration, applied as an adjunct to treatment for 20 minutes per day, significantly increases the rate of tooth movement.³

The AcceleDent Aura device incorporates an activator, which generates the micro-pulses, and a mouthpiece, which comes in large- and small-arch sizes. The patient turns on the activator and bites down on the mouthpiece for 20 minutes daily during the course of orthodontic treatment. Small and lightweight, AcceleDent is designed for hands-free use and is held in place simply with bite pressure. This enables patients to engage in other activities, such as reading, driving, watching television or using a computer, which provides some convenience for patients in scheduling the daily treatment.

A second common barrier to orthodontic treatment is pain. As evidenced by a randomised controlled trial published in the peer-reviewed journal Angle Orthodontist, micro-pulse vibration devices, such as AcceleDent, significantly lower orthodontic treatment pain scores for overall pain and biting pain.⁴ A reduction in discomfort is highly attractive to orthodontic patients and likely aids in compliance with the daily AcceleDent regimen and contributes to patient satisfaction.

Dr Kenji Ojima has treated more than 400 aligner cases with AcceleDent, including complex orthodontic cases. The Journal of Clinical Orthodontics published the results of Ojima’s treatment of a 26-year-old female patient who was diagnosed as a skeletal Class II with infra-labioversion of the maxillary canines and a steep mandibular plane angle. All four of the patient’s third molars were removed prior to aligner treatment. Ojima’s assessment of this patient called for the patient to change aligners every 14 days over 30 months; however, the patient was unwilling to undergo treatment for that length of time. To accelerate her treatment, Ojima prescribed AcceleDent with instructions to change aligners every five days, enabling the patient to complete treatment in 18 months while experiencing no discomfort.⁵

Faster orthodontic treatment results have also been demonstrated with fixed appliances, as illustrated by Dr Sharon Orton-Gibbs. Reporting on the first extensive single-centre treatment experience with delivery of pulsatile forces, Orton-Gibbs published the results of predicted and actual treatment times for 14 control patients treated with fixed appliances and 14 AcceleDent patients treated with fixed appliances. As published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, Orton-Gibbs found that the AcceleDent group completed treatment 33.5 per cent faster than their predicted treatment times, saving an average of 6.23 months of treatment time.⁶

Conclusion
AcceleDent Aura enables orthodontists to remove barriers to treatment and give patients what they want—faster orthodontic treatment with reduced discomfort—while achieving sophisticated clinical results. The peer-reviewed evidence and clinical reports prove that AcceleDent Aura accelerates orthodontic treatment by as much as 50 per cent and reduces pain. There are tens of thousands of AcceleDent patients across the world who, along with their orthodontists, have reported high satisfaction with their accelerated treatment.

References
1. Rubin, C., Turner, S., Müller, R., Mittra, E., Mcleod, K., Lin, W. & Qin, Y.-X., “Quantity and quality of trabecular bone in the femur are enhanced by a strongly anabolic, noninvasive mechanical intervention”, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 17/2 (2002), 349–57.

2. Rubin, C., Judex, S. & Quin, Y.-X., “Low-level mechanical signals and their potential as a non-pharmacological intervention for osteoporosis”, Age and Ageing, 35 Suppl. 2 (2006), ii32–ii36.

3. Pavlin, D., Anthony R., Raj, V. & Gakunga, P.T., “Cyclic loading (vibration) accelerates tooth movement in orthodontic patients: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial”, Seminars in Orthodontics, 21/3 (2015), 187–94.

4. Lobre, W.D., Callegari, B.J., Gardner, G., Marsh, C.M., Bush, A.C. & Dunn, W.J., “Pain control in orthodontics using a micropulse vibration device: A randomized clinical trial”, Angle Orthodontist, in press.

5.Ojima, K., Dan, C., Nishiyama, R., Ohtsuka, S. & Schupp, W., “Accelerated extraction treatment with Invisalign”, Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, 48/8 (2014), 487–99.

6. Orton-Gibbs, S. & Kim, N.Y., “Clinical experience with the use of pulsatile forces to accelerate treatment”, Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, 49/9 (2015), 557–73.