The orthodontic profession should aim to reduce the duration of orthodontic therapy. Currently, increasing numbers of case reports demonstrate that substantial reductions in treatment time are achievable. These reports suggest that corticotomies, vibration, laser, electric current and controlled localized injury may have the potential to increase basal metabolic rate and, therefore; reduce treatment time. The suggested mechanisms by which these adjunctive treatments enhance tooth movement seem to have their basis in tissue-level histo-logical events. Thus, concepts that are relevant to tissue-level bone biology are reviewed here. Targeted and stochastic bone remodeling are defined and distinguished from bone modeling. The original description and features of regional acceleratory phenomena (RAP) are discussed, along with the relevance of bone remodeling rates for expedited tooth movement. Selection of a suitable animal model to study bone remodeling and adaption is discussed. A brief critical review of findings from the literature on expedited tooth movement is presented as related to animal models, bone remodeling and modeling. Finally, a summary is provided regarding what evidence exists in the literature for many of the proposed mechanisms. The information presented herein will assist in designing future experiments and interpreting results from well-designed studies.
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