Braces Time: Can It Be Shorten?

The average time a patient is required to wear braces is about a year and half to two years.  Since it takes time for braces to slowly push the teeth into alignment and gradually correct the malfunction of the bite.  This is a sustained, precise process requiring constant visits to doctor’s office, uncomfortable adjustments and limitation on food.  No wonder many people want to know if the treatment time can be shortened?

Fortunately, modern orthodontic practices have evolved considerably over the last 20 years.  Contemporary treatment philosophies are changing the way we treat the vast majority of patients.Recent developments and introduction of digital workflow, 3D printing and robotics in orthodontics improved the efficiency, accuracy and predictability of the treatment outcome.

1. Intraoral scanner and digital model
   The traditional dental office use alginate to take the impression for patient’s teeth.  The impression is poured into a plaster model and mailed to a dental lab for manual design and measurement. The advent of desktop scanner and intra-oral scanner allow high resolution 3D virtual models to be captured. The digital models may be virtually sectioned and analyzed for the amount of crowding, arch form, spacing, tooth size, malocclusion, etc. The user can also obtain a digital diagnostic setup and simulate a proposed treatment plan.  The digital workflow expedite the traditional one, reduce the number of patients’ visits and maximize the efficiency.
2.  Customized brackets, arch wires and aligners
   People who had braces will notice the tooth movement occurs as the result of the engagement of the wire in the brackets system, and the traditional brackets and wires are based on an average tooth shape.  With the Computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing, there are several customization approaches to generate an ideal force system, which could reduce the treatment time to 50%.
3. Micro-perforation techniques
   This is an innovative procedures that create micro-osteopeforations that harness the patient’s biology to stimulate the bone surrounding the teeth.  It’s a fast and gentle way to accelerate the treatment time 50% faster.
4. Wilcodontics
   A clinical procedure that combines the bone corticotomy and bone grafting. This technique allows teeth to be moved 2-3 times faster, and reduce the treatment time to 25% required for traditional treatment.