It does sound too good to be true, but in this case, Propel is actually a true advance in accelerated orthodontic treatment. Propel isn't a gimmick or magical appliance. It is an adjunctive surgical procedure that speeds up proven orthodontic treatment technique. Invisalign and newer wire technologies have made the actual movement of teeth more efficient, but not necessarily faster since speed of tooth movement has always been dictated by the biological processes that make it happen. Faster tooth movement requires stimulation of the bone remodeling and healing processes themselves, rather than a new brace, wire, plastic aligner, computerized treatment planning or method of applying force to teeth. All sorts of stimulation methods have been explored, ranging from vibration and ultrasound to low-level laser light and hormone therapy, without much promise.Surgical procedures to accelerate tooth movement are nothing new. However, they have typically involved multiple visits to periodontists or oral surgeons for invasive and uncomfortable procedures carrying the risk of gum recession after treatment. These procedures typically involved opening up the gum tissue to place perforations in the bone around the teeth, increasing blood flow and levels of healing factors in the supporting tissues. This leads to faster bone remodeling, faster tooth movement and proven 50% faster treatment time. For a vast majority of patients, these procedures were not worth the discomfort or expense regardless of the decrease in treatment time.Propel achieves the roughly the same results without anywhere near the discomfort or expense, and can be done in the orthodontic office. We see many patients who want their treatment finished before a wedding, senior photos, leaving for college, etc., and Propel has allowed us to stack the odds in favor of completing treatment on time. Typically Propel is offered as an add-on to treatment. The acceleration effects of the procedure last about 10-12 weeks before it needs to be repeated. In the meantime, our patients' time between adjustments drop from 4-6 weeks to 2 weeks in braces and time between aligner changes drop from 10-14 days to 5-7 days with Invisalign assuming patients are following recommendations to avoid all anti-inflammatory educations during treatment and appliances are worn as directed. The discomfort associated with Propel is minimal. Our patients have described the feeling afterward as roughly the same as having a "deep cleaning" done by their dental hygienist. Hope this helps! Dr. G
