anyone tried an acceledent?

[djspeece]

Having completed several hundred cases using Acceledent I can attest to its effectiveness. It does sound too good to be true, If you want to see a few treated cases, here is a fun video I put together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbmmhFMQl8s

There have been a lot of questions raised in this forum, so I want to try and clear them up:

-> DO NOT BUY THEM SECOND HAND. They are designed to stop working after 18mo of once daily use, so you'll be stuck with one that goes dead on you with no means of replacing it.

-> Due to more efficient treatment and better outcomes, we include Acceledent in the cost of care for most patients when tooth movement (and not growth) is the limiting factor.

-> It does allow teeth to move 30-50% faster, but much of how fast treatment proceeds has to do with the skill of your orthodontist and biologic variation between individuals. Most patients we treat with it are done with treatment in 6-12 months.

-> It also helps with comfort.

Our office is also a part of a clinical trial using photobiomodulation with a device called OrthoPulse (an LED light) to accomplish the same things as Acceledent. I welcome any questions you have.

All due respect, the point above bears emphasis. This post is coming from an orthodontist!

[freysmiles]

Thank you @djspeece for helping me point that out.

The company has them designed to block reuse by orthodontists between patients and resale from patient to patient so these devices are like pre-paid cell phones. There are two time trackers inside. One registers a use after the device is on for 10 min, the other tracks total minutes. There are only 10960 total minutes (~18mo of daily use) available for use, so depending on how much the device has been turned on it may not have many minutes left. I have patients who use the device more than once per day run out of minutes during treatment and we have to get the company to provide another device. If the device is resold and not registered to the patient, they won't do that.

You don't want to pay a bunch of money for something that is going to become an expensive paper weight.

[Bontzrf]

Does anyone have or know where I can get a small mouthpiece? (I no longer go to my original orthodontist)

[jfriend33]

We can't discount any newer techniques. Dentistry was based on a small group of people that were xrayed back in the 50's and 60's. Our faces are changing to this day.

I would say before using the Acceledent, question the person, why do they have a malocclusion? Is it from a breathing problem? Many people with a breathing problem have teeth problems. Just make sure you tackle this from multiple angles.

In addition to your Acceledent, I also found Orthotropics to be quite interesting. Look it up on youtube.

[jfriend33]

Can some users here please chime in on the Acceledent? Price paid, if they used traditional braces or invisalign, and chief complaint/reason for ortho treatment.

I am trying to find some scholarly articles aka evidence based treatment that shows some proof of these things. Specifically, for effectiveness of molar intrusion, or anterior open bite cases.

[bbsadmin]

I also want to chime in and tell you guys that you will never be able to find an Acceledent anywhere but in a dentist's office. I spoke to a rep from the company recently at the AAO convention in San Francisco (wanted to know if we could carry it at DentaKit.com). Because of the way the device is classified by the FDA, they are not allowed to sell it retail. It must be sold to a patient by a doctor or a dentist. Therefore, please be wary if you happen to see it on some retail website, because it is there illegally.

[DrJasonKTam]

There's been some controversy lately over whether AcceleDent speeds up tooth movement and whether comfort levels are different. I've written a long answer and you can view it on our blog here regarding my thoughts. One of the studies is actually linked in the entry as well:
http://markhamortho.blogspot.ca/2015/07 ... udies.html

[jfriend33]

I also want to chime in and tell you guys that you will never be able to find an Acceledent anywhere but in a dentist's office. I spoke to a rep from the company recently at the AAO convention in San Francisco (wanted to know if we could carry it at DentaKit.com). Because of the way the device is classified by the FDA, they are not allowed to sell it retail. It must be sold to a patient by a doctor or a dentist. Therefore, please be wary if you happen to see it on some retail website, because it is there illegally.

Yes they are a medical device. However they do sell quite frequently on ebay. My ortho said it would be roughly 800 with the discount. If we do before photos and all that jazz.

There is one on ebay now for 550. Key is the timer only lasts 2 years or 2.5 years tops I believe. Once it hits the end, its done. You can order new mouthpieces but its not always easy. I would say only buy one from ebay if its from a seller with great feedback, and you are trying to save on money. And of course, that your ortho wants you to use it.

I just want to know how effective these are for molar intrusion. It makes perfect sense to me. They even have big industrial equipment and things move more when they are being vibrated and pulled in a specific direction.

[randijean23]

I'm currently selling my acceledent device for $500 if anyone Is interested. I only used it for 2 1/2 months so there's lots of use left in it. You can see the pics of it on my Instagram randijean23

[tartanhabit]

I've been using it daily and am experiencing virtually no pain. My ortho sold me on this as the main benefit. She says this is what she hears most from her patients who use it. She estimates it will knock about 4 months off treatment but again, it's an estimate. Because I am using acceledent, I get to have wire change appointments at shorter intervals too. I've seen quite a bit of progress since I started nearly 8 weeks ago, but who knows if this is where I'd be anyway without acceledent.

I had the acceledent device malfunction. It went into this crazy mode where it would NOT switch off at all and the only way to get it to stop was to stick it in the recharger. Acceledent swiftly sent me out a new one to replace it and had me ship the malfunctioning one back. I wish there was more data but I'm prepared to give it a go because other than forking out another chunk of $$ I don't see any down sides.

I would not buy it second hand, especially having had a malfunctioning unit after just a few weeks. If it's not registered to you, you have absolutely no cover.

[NeilH]

There was an interesting article published at the link below that discusses the results of a clinical trial. My take on the conclusion was that there was insufficient data to support their use at present and further studies need to be done before some of the claims can be substantiated.

http://kevinobrienorthoblog.com/lets-talk-acceledent/

[cdngrl71]

I just started using Acceledent on 06-Aug. I think it's going okay so far. I am not feeling too much pain after getting metal braces top and bottom, just a bit achy.

[Giovanna911]

I have been using AcceleDent daily for the past 11 months. Before I purchased it, I did research on its efficacy via PubMed/NCBI clinical studies. I also interviewed my orthodontist, his technicians, my dentist, my dental hygienists, and other people in braces, about it. My dentist and his hygienist were aware of the successful use of micropulse technology in the resorption and healing of broken bones; apparently the idea is not a novel one. The AcceleDent speeds up the rate of odontoblast activity so that the periodontal ligaments can accommodate faster movement of the teeth by the braces.

My orthodontist is also an engineer who has pioneered the use of certain tech in the field. He gives semiannual trainings around the world. He has a large and thriving practice, so he was able to purchase his AcceleDent inventory in large bulk quantities and pass the savings on to his patients (lucky us). I bought mine for $400. Another poster on this board described a somewhat lukewarm response from his/her orthodontist after asking about it, and I suspect that the orthodontist was not able to afford it. People typically balk at spending large amounts of money for it, so this may be a deterrent to acquiring them because some orthos would not make a profit.

Once I had it, I began using it immediately and faithfully every day. True to what his assistants told me, the soreness and discomfort that would normally accompany my re-tie visits was relieved, if not eliminated, by the use of this product. I liked how convenient it was because I could wear it while driving, reading, watching TV, or doing chores. Most importantly of all, it DOES reduce treatment time. The claims range from 20%-50% shorter treatment periods, with the average at my ortho's office being around 30%. That's good enough for me. My teeth have moved so quickly, with no disadvantages, that I am able to come in for re-ties every 28-30 days rather than the usual two months for everyone else.

I read Dr. Frey's contribution to this thread on AcceleDent, and he is exactly correct in his reporting when he wrote that the device has a finite number of charges in it. He stated a time in hours. My orthodontist relayed a conversation he had with one of his sales reps that indicated this finite number of uses could theoretically be extended by using it for only 19 minutes at a time because it resets itself after 20, but I haven't tested that theory. The device does have USB connectivity for reporting analytics on a desktop computer but I haven't connected it to my computer, either.

Data on me: I am a 47-yr-old female; second time in fixed appliances -- ceramics on maxillary front six and classic metal on all others; originally presenting with Class II Division I (overjet) malocclusion, moderate to severe mandibular crowding, and tapered, narrow arches. I had no diastema, supernumerary teeth, nor anodontia. Maxilla: at least 4 labioverted teeth with right functional crossbite. Mandible: at least 2 labioverted teeth and 2 teeth in torsiversion. Appliances used have been traditional power chains on metal brackets (no bands nor buccal tubes) with orthodontic elastics worn during the last three months in various configurations. I am now in the finishing stages of my treatment. Currently, my teeth have normal occlusion, alignment, overbite, and overjet. My maxillary and mandibular midlines are currently being aligned. The difference is almost imperceptible. I would like both my midlines to be in line with the glabella, so that is all that seems to be left to do after 11 months of treatment.

I unequivocally recommend spending the money, if you can, on an AcceleDent device. It delivers exactly what it promises. I also agree completely with Dr. Frey and others who contend that it cannot be shared. It is an FDA-cleared Class II medical device that is not for reconsumption. You will very likely run out of charges, but even more importantly, AcceleDents come with a variety of device-specific mouthguards. These guards correspond to the shape and size of your arch. Since my arch has changed dramatically, I have gone through three different guard sizes since the beginning of my treatment. If you are not properly fitted with the correct guard by your orthodontic professional who has received training in the use of this device, then you may not receive the benefits and could even set your progress back an indefinite amount, causing more problems than warranted and a longer treatment time, while also wasting your money.

Thank you for reading my response. I hope this information has been helpful.

[metalliKa]

Although I do understand the science behind it, I agree with Neil that more independent studies need to be conducted before its claims can be substantiated. The 50% reduced treatment time is a little hard to believe.

The idea is stimulating gums to promote good blood flow. My ortho said you can achieve the same by chewing sugarless gums religiously. And much more economical that way.

[Giovanna911]

< response to metalliKa >
Hmm, chewing gum? An orthodontist said that? There is more science and empirical research behind an AcceleDent device than chewing gum, and the biomechanics and forces delivered are not the same. The science behind the AcceleDent is not "stimulating gums to promote good blood flow", as you wrote. The way resonance vibration accelerates tooth movement is through enhanced RANKL expression in the periodontal ligament (basically, these are cytokines -- substances that are inflammatory that are released by our bodies, and, in this case, remodel tooth ligaments).

A 50% reduced treatment time is not a common outcome in the studies. At best, it would constitute an outlier in the data, however, in my case, it is pretty close to what has occurred. Although the treatment periods for people vary by a lot, I usually read that the average length of time spent in braces is anywhere between 2 and 3 years. I will have spent 12 months (I will update as my treatment progresses and if this changes) total. That is roughly 50% of the time I was told to expect.

Still, any reduction, even one of 10-20% would be quite meaningful for many people who wish for a shorter treatment time. I think the cost, though, is prohibitive for many, but was not for me due to the reasons stated in my post.

As for those who think more studies are needed, well, there are already many as you would see through a PubMed search. Some of them are better than others, however. The methodology of the first controlled study had patients using the device for only 6 months, and all of the study subjects had only a Class I malocclusion. In addition, this study measured only root resorption, a common problem when accelerating tooth movement. It did not study how quickly the subjects' teeth actually responded to orthodontic treatment. (Head Face Med. 2011; 7: 14.) There was a study that measured the rate of movement per week on a small group of patients using AcceleDent, but I noticed there was no control group for baseline comparison.

Perhaps higher degrees of malocclusion, like mine, respond more favorably to the device.

Other studies:
-- Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2008 Apr;133(4):572-83. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2006.01.046.
-- World J Methodol. 2014 Sep 26; 4(3): 151–162. Dental movement acceleration: Literature review by an alternative scientific evidence method