Acceleration of adult orthodontic treatment facilitated by surgical alveolar corticotomies

Mean duration of conventional orthodontic treatment in adults ranges between 18 and 24 months. This period can deter those patients who perceive multi-attachment appliances as a hindrance to their social and professional lives. Several techniques have been advanced to reduce treatment time. Surgical alveolar corticotomy techniques have been tested clinically and experimentally. However, they have always been conducted segmentally on a tooth or group of teeth but never from molar to molar on the same arch. We investigated these techniques for their efficacy and tolerance in animals as well as for possible clinical applications in man. We present 3 cases of adult patients requiring orthodontic and surgical treatment who were given buccal and palatal, interdental and supraapical corticotomies, performed concomitantly on both jaws. Overall treatment time was halved and tolerance was excellent. The benefits and drawbacks of corticotomies are discussed in the light of our clinical results.