Abstract
Corticotomy is considered effective for shortening the duration of orthodontic treatment and modifying phenotypes. However, the conventional corticotomy techniques introduced generally involve significant invasiveness, which is a drawback for patients. Moreover, it is believed that the effect of corticotomy diminishes after four months as bone remodeling progresses, leading to a weakening of the acceleration effect on tooth movement.
In cases where third molars or premolars are extracted, tooth movement may be accelerated during the leveling phase due to the surgical invasion caused by tooth extraction, potentially obviating the need for corticotomy. Therefore, it is believed that minimally invasive local corticotomy performed during the closure of extraction spaces is more effective than during the leveling phase.
Clinically, it is recommended to make a deep groove from the cortical bone to the cancellous bone without extensive gingival detachment, and to insert a bone chisel into the bone groove to confirm the movement of the tooth to be relocated. This method is currently considered the most balanced approach in terms of the degree of surgical invasion and the effect of promoting tooth movement.
