USC Health Now

Ask the USC Doc

Q. I wear braces on my teeth and recently heard of a way to cut down on the time needed for them to be effective. Can adults benefit from the procedure?

A. 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. Researchers at the USC School of Dentistry say they have improved upon a surgical procedure that rapidly straightens teeth, delivering a healthy bite and attractive smile in months instead of years. Led by Hessam Nowzari, D.D.S., Ph.D., Director of the USC Advanced Periodontics program, the researchers have used used a procedure known as Periodontally Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics (PAOO). 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 those grooves. The procedure is done under local anesthetic in a dental office. As the bone begins to heal, it softens slightly, allowing teeth to be moved into alignment with dental braces in a matter of months, rather than the years required with traditional orthodontics. “Given a choice for grafts, nothing is better than a patient’s own tissue,” Nowzari explains. “It encourages new, healthy bone formation in the grafted area. It’s very safe and eliminates the risk of any disease transmission.”

Quick Tip

New studies show that breathing polluted air not only has an effect on the lungs, but can damage the heart as well, especially in people with existing heart disease. “Patients with cardiovascular disease shouldn’t exercise outside on days with increased air pollution levels. On very polluted days, they should consider staying inside, and during the winter, they should limit exposure to fireplace smoke,” says Robert A. Kloner, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.