procedure known as PAOO, short for Periodontally Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics.
With this technique, a periodontist or oral surgeon uses special instruments to score the bone that holds the teeth in place and then applies bone graft material over the grooves. The procedure is done under local anesthetic in the dental office.
Accelerated orthodontics is gaining popularity as a way for patients, particularly adults with mature bones, to speed up the time it takes to straighten misaligned bites and fix crowded teeth.
The cost for accelerated orthodontics typically ranges from $10,000 to $15,000, depending on the course of treatment.
However, he added, the benefits were impressive: In eight months, Chang’s overbite and crowded teeth were a thing of the past.
“It would have taken about two years to do this with traditional orthodontics,” Chang said.