Duration of Adult Braces Reduced to Just 10 Months

SAN FRANCISCO - Aug. 21, 2013 - PRLog --  

Adults with misaligned teeth often feel embarrassed about their smiles, but they still may choose daily embarrassment over a lengthy orthodontic treatment. So it’s good news for them that orthodontic treatment periods are growing shorter and shorter. Express My Smile™, a new program from Image Orthodontics (www.imageorthodontics.com), combines the latest orthodontic advancements to reduce a typical treatment time from two years to 10 months (depending on the patient), or about 60%.

 

            One of the program’s techniques employs a system of 3D-imaging and robotics that drastically speeds up treatment times. This new technology can be combined with additional accelerating techniques, as well as with newer treatments that hide braces from public view, such as lingual braces which are affixed behind teeth.

 

            “Not many orthodontic practices in the Bay Area are taking advantage of these accelerating technologies, but at Image Orthodontics, we feel they’re worth the investment,” says Dr. Yan Kalika, the lead orthodontist of the practice which has five locations throughout the San Francisco area “Our adult patients want to enjoy the benefits of a beautiful smile, but they’re worried braces will detract from their professional and personal lives. The Express My Smile program significantly minimizes the time they’re in braces.”

 

            The core treatment starts with a revolving 3D scan of the patient’s mouth using a machine similar to modern airport scanners. It’s a leap beyond conventional 2D X-rays. After the 3D image is uploaded to a computer, the doctor can determine the best route for teeth to move into their desired positions. Then robotic pincers shape a wire to conform to the specifications of the computer model; the wire is inserted into the patient’s braces.

 

            “It’s not that the teeth move any faster than with traditional braces,” says Dr. Kalika. “What’s going on is the technology helps the doctor determine the most direct path for the teeth to travel. After that, the robot fashions the wire with a precision that humans simply can’t match with orthodontic pliers.”

 

            He goes on to explain that with conventional braces, the doctor has to manually adjust the wires over a series of visits. This new technology, however, reduces the need for fine tuning and means fewer orthodontic visits for the patient. In general, it reduces treatment periods by about 40%.

 

            Express My Smile™ (www.expressmysmile.com) offers a second technology to reduce treatment time even more. It’s in the form of a mouthpiece which patients are given to wear for 20 minutes a day at home. This device creates with precisely calibrated micro-pulses, and the gentle pulsations accelerate the movement of teeth along the path determined by the braces. It results in an up-to-50% reduction in the braces-wearing period.

 

            “Using these technologies, Express My Smile can see an patient in and out of braces in only 10 months or so,” says Dr. Kalika. “Our adult patients live fast-paced lives, and they want their new smiles fast too. With Express My Smile, there’s really no reason to make treatment take any longer than necessary.”