Orthodontic braces and clear aligners work by applying force to teeth in order to gradually realign them. This force naturally causes a demineralization (softening) of the bone, which allows the teeth to move. Although the time it takes for patients to wear braces or aligners varies considerably, it generally takes on average up to 2 years. To help shorten treatment time, Dr. John Marchetto of Weston, FL and Howard Leonhardt of Salt Lake City, UT has formed OrthodontiCell (Salt Lake City, Utah). OrthodontiCell has developed the Tooth Movement Accelerator TM, which uses bioelectric energy to significantly increase the rate at which teeth move during orthodontic tooth movement. The Tooth Movement Accelerator TM is a removable and non-invasive appliance that a patient wears in the mouth for 20 minutes every 3 days. OrthodontiCell is working with Dr. Jorge Genovese of Argentina (also a co-founder) and is about to commence animal studies utilizing the bioelectric energy, at the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, MA. This study will then be followed using the device and method in controlled clinical trials in the USA.
The technology is based on patent pending bioelectric stimulation technology originally developed to regenerate damaged hearts back in 1999 and is now adapted and reprogrammed for increasing the rate of tooth movement and thereby reducing orthodontic treatment time. The OrthodontiCell Tooth Movement Accelerator TM emits small electric pulses that controls expressions of RANKL, OPG, TNF-alpha, SDF-1, HGF, IGF-1, VEGF, eNOS and M-CSF as well as stem cell differentiation. Studies and patents (some with patents pending) have been completed for all these cells and proteins individually for various applications of regeneration. Previously, a number of studies have demonstrated that regular needle injections of RANKL in the area of desired tooth movement, accelerates tooth movement by 300% and will decreases the time needed to wear braces or aligners.
This bioelectric stimulator, will achieve incredibly fast orthodontic treatment with less pain, in fact, the electrical stimulation actually has a pain reducing affect. When compared to surgical corticotomies (the well documented surgical approach to acceleration tooth movement), it was faster, eliminates the morbidity, pain and suffering of surgery. The key to the increased rate of tooth movement is drawing an abundance of the needed cells and proteins to the site of tooth movement. These cells and proteins will accelerate the demineralization (softening) of bone, thereby allowing teeth to move faster. Once the teeth are in their final proper position, signaling for an increase in specific cells and proteins will accelerate the remineralization (hardening) and shorten the time for retention. One example is SDF-1, a key patented signal for homing stem cells from the surrounding tissue (bone marrow, gum tissue, fat cells and circulating blood) to come to the treated site to aide in tooth movement. There are many other cells and proteins and cytokines that have an increased expression through specific patented signals, all working together to substantially increase the rate of tooth movement.
Howard J. Leonhardt the Founder and CEO of Leonhardt Ventures and Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc., Dr. John Marchetto an Orthodontist in Weston, Florida and Dr. Jorge Genovese a collaborative researcher from Buenos Aires, Argentina are co-inventors of this product.
