Dear Visitor:

This year marks an important milestone in scientific development of ideas, concepts, and solid experimental data in relation to OrthoAccel Technologies. While OrthoAccel is commercializing a specific therapeutic application with an innovative mechanotherapy to treat malocclusion, the “platform” so to speak is much broader, transcending not only the oral cavity, but ultimately all craniofacial skeletal structures.

As orthodontists, we attempt to utilize our best possible understanding of basic biology of tooth movement toward the management of clinical cases. As scientists, we have only just begun identifying the intricacies of mechanical forces and their modulation of the periodontal ligament, cementum, alveolar bone, and craniofacial sutures and bone. The common challenge in front of both orthodontists and scientists is how we translate the fruit of scientific research into clinical practice.

The field of orthodontics has witnessed tremendous technical improvement since the era of 1900 when Dr. Edward Angle, along with his colleagues, practiced orthodontics. We have NiTi and TMA wires, as well as miniscrews that were not a part of orthodontics in the early days. However, the mechanotherapy principles of today’s orthodontics are not that much different from those that were written by Dr. Angle and other early day orthodontic pioneers.

OrthoAccel represents an intersection of two worlds: applying a novel concept of pulsing forces and innovative appliances to promote orthodontic tooth movement via clinically accepted approaches.  

The opportunities moving forward are plentiful; a proliferation of clinical applications will likely be realized across several dimensions in the coming years. In the one direction, optimization of mechanical modulation of bone remodeling will likely translate into more efficient duration and treatment results. At this time, the scientific effort at OrthoAccel will remain focused on achieving a goal that is the aspiration of the orthodontic profession: to promote efficient and safe tooth movement as well as durable treatment results.  

Best,

Jeremy J. Mao, DDS, Ph.D.

Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board, OrthoAccel Technologies, Inc.

Director, TE/RM Laboratory, Professor

College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University