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November 4, 2009 | dentalproductsreport.com Vibration technology used in ortho cases in the U.K. A Houston company hopes to bring AcceleDent device to the U.S. market in the next year.
 Photos: The AcceleDent orthodontic accessory device from OrthoAccel Technologies uses vibratiion technology to speed up treatments. It may take another year before it’s FDA approved and available in the U.S., but a Houston company is using vibration technology to speed up the tooth-movement process in the United Kingdom. The AcceleDent orthodontic accessory for the treatment of tooth malocclusion is designed to assist standard orthodontics such as braces and aligners. OrthoAccel Technologies Chief Executive Officer Michael Lowe said orthodontist and bio engineer Dr. Jeremy Mao developed much of the science behind this technology, which is currently being used in the U.K. Some of Dr. Mao’s research was based on studies of vibrating, pulsating forces used to speed up the healing process in orthopedics. “When Dr. Mao went on to become a dental professional he had this light bulb come on and thought: ‘I wonder what would happen if we took this above the neck and applied it to alveolar bone.’ Of course, there are a couple applications that make sense, especially with a lot of innovation going on with dental implants, but being an orthodontist he wanted to investigate it with regard to tooth movement. “So he put together some studies in his laboratory and what they found is lo and behold it works.” Lowe said the AcceleDent, which includes an activator, a mouthpiece, a charging port and a travel shell, is not intended to replace braces or other traditional forms of tooth movement. But the device, which is designed to be worn in 20-minute daily sessions, speeds up the process, allowing patients to reach their case completion more quickly and to allow the dental professional to shorten its time to complete cases. “We compliment all existing orthodontic procedures, whether that’s treatment with fixed appliances or with clear aligners,” he said. “This is an enhancement to that, not a substitute.” Lowe said after conducting some extensive focus groups, it was determined the lead benefit from this product always comes back to shorter treatment times. A large consumer segment, and not just adults, really don’t like wearing braces, he said. “They want the benefit of straight teeth and everything that comes along with that but they don’t want to be in a fixed appliance for two years,” Lowe said. “For the orthodontist or the dental professional it’s really more about efficiencies.” Lowe said Damon Braces, a company that offers passive, self-ligating braces, has been quite successful working with the same idea. “Damon has done very well with passive self-ligation, and if you look at their claim set, it’s really around reducing the number of visits required,” he said. “We would be very similar except in a slightly different vein…we’re not improving the biomechanics or improving the efficiency of tooth movement. We’re actually activating a cellular response that’s biological at the tissue level. “So in that sense we would also serve as a complement to a passive self-ligating system like Damon.” Will initially target orthodontists When AcceleDent does become available in the U.S., Lowe said the company will initially target orthodontists more so than GPs, but he expects the demand from patients to eventually drive the technology into general practices. “There’s no certainty around when we would have FDA approval, but I would say approximately a year from now,” said Lowe, who added that the company does have regulatory clearance in Europe. “Although there’s some frustration with not being able to take it to the U.S. market just yet, in many ways it’s good because it’s going to give us a year’s experience in the United Kingdom to learn and work out any bugs.”
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