Accelerated orthodontics: can you make braces faster?

Page updated October 22, 2026.

Accelerated orthodontics is the name for add-ons that claim to make braces or aligners work faster: vibrating mouthpieces, laser or LED light, and minor surgery on the bone around the teeth. Independent Cochrane reviews have found little good evidence that any of them shorten treatment overall (Cochrane review) (Cochrane review). Here is what each method is, what the research shows, and what reliably keeps treatment on schedule.

What accelerated orthodontics is

The AAO says most people wear braces for 12 to 24 months (AAO). Faster treatment would mean fewer visits and less time with braces, and the Cochrane reviewers note it could also reduce unwanted effects such as root shortening, white spots and flagging motivation (Cochrane review). That's the promise. The methods fall into two groups:

Do vibration devices work?

The 2023 Cochrane review, which looked at 23 randomized trials with 1,027 patients, found low-certainty evidence that light vibrational forces have no significant advantage for any outcome it assessed (Cochrane review). For total treatment time, the difference between vibration and no vibration was 0.61 months, and the review found no evidence of a real difference (Cochrane review). Vibration also made no difference to pain in the trials that measured it (Cochrane review).

Do laser and LED treatments work?

Photobiomodulation means shining low-level laser or LED light on the gums over the teeth being moved. In the same review, low-level laser therapy shortened the time for teeth to line up in the early stage of fixed braces by about 50 days in two small trials, and LED shortened lower-arch alignment by about 24 days in one trial (Cochrane review). But the reviewers couldn't show that this shortens treatment as a whole, rated the evidence very low certainty, and concluded there is no additional benefit from vibration or photobiomodulation for reducing treatment duration (Cochrane review). Laser therapy didn't change pain, gum health or root shortening in the studies that measured them (Cochrane review).

Surgical methods: corticotomy and similar

Surgical methods involve operating on the bone around the teeth being moved. The 2015 Cochrane review found just 4 randomized trials with 57 people aged 11 to 33, all testing corticotomies for closing spaces or lining up a displaced upper canine (Cochrane review). Teeth moved slightly faster with surgery, about 2.03 mm more after three months (Cochrane review). None of the trials measured total treatment time, none reported adverse event data, and the reviewers rated the evidence low quality, calling for longer studies of whole treatments (Cochrane review).

Because it's surgery, ask who performs it, what anesthesia is used, and what recovery involves before agreeing.

What actually keeps treatment on schedule

The things that reliably stop treatment from running long are less exciting:

• Wear elastics as prescribed, replacing them as directed; doubling up can harm teeth and slow treatment (AAO)
• Protect your brackets. Broken or missing brackets can lengthen treatment and affect the result (AAO); see eating with braces
• Wear aligners the full time. At least 22 hours a day, in the right order (AAO)
• Keep your appointments so the orthodontist can adjust the braces on schedule

Treatment type can matter too: a 2019 review found aligner treatment was about 6 months shorter than braces on average, mostly in cases without extractions (Ke et al., BMC Oral Health). See how long braces take and is Invisalign worth it.

How much does accelerated orthodontics cost?

We haven't found a reliable published price for any of these add-ons, so we don't give one. Ask whether it's included in your fee or charged on top of treatment, which typically costs $3,000 to $7,000 for metal braces (CareCredit). The AAO advises asking what any fee includes (AAO). Given the evidence, ask for the extra cost in writing and what result the practice expects for your case.

Questions to ask before paying for it

• How much shorter do you expect my treatment to be, and what is that estimate based on?
• What does it cost, and is it included in or added to my treatment fee?
• What happens if it doesn't shorten my treatment?
• For surgical methods: who performs it, and what are the risks and recovery?