The device is called the AcceleDent and it works by using gentle vibrations to speed up the rate at which crooked teeth move into the desired position. These vibrations accelerate the turnover of new bone in the gums.
It means the time taken to correct misaligned teeth using braces can be slashed from around two years to less than 18 months.
Nearly a million people a year in the UK, including one in three children, undergo orthodontic treatment to have their teeth straightened using braces that are fixed into position and adjusted every four to six weeks.
It means they can bite correctly, eat more comfortably and care for teeth and gums more easily.
By the end of the treatment the top and bottom teeth should meet when the mouth is closed.
Most patients wear them for between 18 months and two years but it’s thought the ideal age to have treatment is around 12 or 13 while the body is still growing. In adults the scope for improvement is more limited.
It means they can bite correctly, eat more comfortably and care for teeth and gums more easily
The AcceleDent device has been approved for sale in the UK at around £750 and it has been shown in a few cases to more than halve the time it takes for braces to work.
It resembles a high-tech gumshield and is inserted into the mouth for 20 minutes.
Once it is switched on the battery-powered device produces vibrations so gentle they can barely be felt but can have a powerful effect on bone formation deep inside the gum.
Tests show these so-called “micro vibrations” speed up the rate at which bone-producing cells called osteoblasts develop so they outstrip the performance of bone-removing cells called osteoclasts.
Dr Sharon Orton-Gibbs (www.myorthodontist.co.uk) from Surbiton, Surrey, was one of the first dental experts in the UK to use the device.
“Tooth movement occurs by applying pressure to the bone in whichever direction you want teeth to go so that it gets softened,” she says.
“So if the bone in front of the tooth is gradually removed the space behind the tooth gets filled in with new bone. The AcceleDent simply speeds up this process.”
One recent trial showed that using the vibrating gumshield on a daily basis doubled the rate at which teeth move into position and increased the speed at which gaps between teeth closed by about 38 per cent.
Researchers from The University of Texas found that for a patient who had a tooth removed and was left with a gap of six to eight millimetres, the vibrating device saved up to 15 weeks of orthodontic treatment.
Student Jack Berry from Baldrine on the Isle of Man opted to try the vibrating gadget when he was told at the age of 15 that he would need braces.
“I wanted to get my teeth straight and I didn’t mind having the braces but I didn’t want to have to wear them for a long period of time,” says Jack, now 17.
“You can be quite conscious of your looks at that age.”
Once Jack had his braces fitted to both top and bottom teeth he was told to insert the AcceleDent device in his mouth for 20 minutes every day while he watched TV, read or studied.
“At first I kept forgetting to do it and for the first few months I didn’t really bother,” he says.
“When I did I really started to notice an improvement.
“It doesn’t feel uncomfortable and isn’t noisy. It just buzzes away in your mouth.
“I started using it at the beginning of September 2010 and by the following January my teeth had more or less moved into position.
“I was delighted with it. I thought the treatment would take years but within three to four months there had been a big improvement.
“I finally had my braces removed in December last year, just over a year after they were fitted.
“Now I just use a retainer to stop them shifting back.”
Dr Orton-Gibbs became a paid consultant for the company producing AcceleDent after she was one of the first orthodontists in the UK to use it.
She says some patients she expected would need 18 to 24 months of treatment had their braces removed six months ahead of schedule.
“I currently have around 79 patients who are using the device and a further 21 who have completed their treatment.
“This is the same technology that has been used for some time to improve bone healing and boost bone density.
“For many people the idea of faster treatment is very attractive,” she adds.
“I am using it for about one in four of my patients aged under 16 and up to half the adults I treat as they tend to want to get things done more quickly.”
With his teeth now straight and his braces removed Jack says the device will suit those impatient to have their mouth free of metal once again.
“It’s not necessary to use it and you can get through the treatment without it but it is a quicker outcome,” he says.