Orthodontic treatment acceleration with corticotomy-assisted exposure of palatally impacted canines.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of a new surgical technique in the treatment of palatally impacted canines. MATERIALS AND METHODS Six consecutive patients presenting with bilaterally impacted canines were compared. One canine was surgically exposed using a conventional surgical technique while the contralateral canine was exposed using a corticotomy-assisted technique. RESULTS After tooth movement was completed, statistical comparisons of the two methods revealed a reduction of treatment time of 28-33% for the corticotomy-assisted canines. No significant differences were observed in final periodontal condition between the canines exposed by these two methods. CONCLUSION This preliminary study supports the concept that a corticotomy-assisted surgical technique helps reduce orthodontic treatment time for palatally impacted canines.