Orthotown October 2016 - 56


Offering vibration technology
allows patients to participate in
their treatment and eliminates
certain hesitations related to
invasive techniques.
Despite my trained treatment coordinators
offering the latest MOPs techniques and
emphasizing their clear advantages, we
often design a treatment plan that doesn't
involve any accelerated option. This seems
counterintuitive to me and my team.

Empowering your patients
Offering vibration technology allows
patients to participate in their treatment
and eliminates certain hesitations related
to invasive techniques. These hesitations
or challenges can include issues related
to anesthetizing tissue, MOP procedure,
medical contraindications and post-treatment
soreness. After simple training on the device
and support-when necessary from my office
team-patients can self-administer vibration
treatments at home and feel that they have
a positive involvement in their treatment.
I offer patients the VPro5 high-frequency
vibration device with an oscillator mouthpiece
to use for five minutes a day to better seat
their aligners. The mouthpiece is simple for
patients to maintain and keep clean, and
the device is equipped with intuitive light
notifications that allow patients to easily
self-administer treatment. VPro5 has allowed
some of my Invisalign patients to switch
out aligners every 5-7 days just by firmly
biting down on the mouthpiece. It seems
that consistently well-seated aligners alone
can benefit my patients' aligner therapy.
While not performed on the VPro5
itself, vibration research on the effects of
bone treatment have been found concluding

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OCTOBER 2016 // orthotown.com

that high-frequency acceleration (HFA)
accelerates bone healing in the tooth
extraction socket, preserves the alveolar
bone and promotes bone healing through
intramembranous ossification. The study
concluded that applying HFA on a daily
routine for five minutes may lead to future
procedural advantages in tooth extraction,
implant and bone grafting integration, and
post-orthodontic retention.2
I've been using VPro5 for nearly a
year while still incorporating my Excellerator devices into treatment. I now offer
full-service acceleration, allowing me to
cater to patients who prefer at-home over
chairside treatment. Either option allows
my office to achieve excellent treatment
outcomes, improve office efficiency and
increase profitability.
On a few occasions I have integrated
both techniques into a case, delivering MOP
with the Excellerator power driver to isolated
teeth (such as severe rotations and anterior
open-bite cases), while including HFV with
VPro5 as an adjunct aligner seater treatment
to manage difficult movements and reduce
treatment time. This dual treatment allows
me to explore unlimited approaches.

Empowering your practice
I've offered Invisalign aligner therapy in
my offices for more than 17 years, to more
than 3,000 patients, with an evolving level of
clinical skill and results. While I can safely
say I've treated a vast array of orthodontic
malocclusions and skeletal dysplasias with

aligner therapy, some cases didn't achieve my
standards of acceptable final results, whether
because of patient noncompliance, difficult
movement, periodontal issues or just plain
old stubborn teeth. I strive toward achieving
acceptable results for all my cases, and I'm
not willing to negotiate my clinical values
or lower the bar of excellence.
Four years ago, when I initially began
incorporating MOPs using the disposable
Excellerator, my Invisalign cases generally
saw a reduction in treatment time of about
50 percent, resulting in 12- to 18-month
treatment plans finishing in less than 6-12
months.
Adding VPro5 as an adjunct ensures
aligners are fully engaged, resulting in
better expression of aligner prescription.
Furthermore, I routinely advise my VPro5
patients to continue using the device for
five minutes each day postorthodontics
for an additional 3-6 months, to ensure
retainers are fully seated and to reduce
relapse potential.
Propel products are well designed, and
are meant to offer various cost-effective
options. The lower-cost approach allows
for healthy profit margins and justifies the
investment to offer accelerated treatments.
Figuring out what to charge for your
time and experience often depends on your
financial goals for each patient. I routinely
charge an additional $500-$1,000 to add
acceleration for MOPs using the disposable
Excellerator ($100 wholesale) or HFV using
the VPro5 ($300 wholesale).
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown October 2016
