Braces can help build a better smile...but most people wish they didn't have to wear them so long. Now a team of orthodontists have come up with a new device, designed to speed things up.

The amount of time needed to achieve alignment with braces varies by patient. On average most patients will wear braces for 12 to 24 months. Generally, those who are younger and have less severe malocclusion have shorter treatment times than those who start orthodontic treatment late and/or have severe problems with bite. Once the bracing goal is reached, the patient usually needs to wear a retainer to complete and maintain the new alignment of teeth.

Dubravko Pavlin, D.M.D., Ph.D., Researcher with the University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio, says many people dislike having braces and can’t wait to have them removed. He and his coworkers have developed a device that may speed treatment time, called AcceleDent. It consists of a wafer-thin bite plate attached to a small (four-inch high) handle containing the battery box. The bite plate is inserted between the teeth. When the device is turned on, it emits a constant vibration, which is transmitted to the bones in the mouth. Patients use AcceleDent for 20 minutes a day.

Pavlin says other studies show vibration treatment can speed remodeling of bone in patients with osteoporosis. The researchers are hopeful the same concept will work for movement of the teeth during orthodontic treatment. Based on the results of a preliminary study, investigators hope to see treatment time decreased by 25 to 30 percent.

The AcceleDent is currently under study at UT Health Science Center of San Antonio. Researchers hope to wrap up the trial by the end of the year. The treatment does add some cost to clinical care for the patient. However, Pavlin expects that reduction in treatment time will outweigh the extra cost of the device.

For information on the AcceleDent research, go here.