Methods useful for remodeling maxillofacial bone using light therapy and a functional appliance

Abstract

Methods are provided for regulating bone remodeling or tooth movement, comprising allowing a functional appliance to exert a force on oral or maxillofacial bone, muscle, or soft tissue, or one or more teeth of a patient in need thereof; and administering an effective amount of light to the oral or maxillofacial bone, muscle, or soft tissue, or one or more teeth, wherein the light is administered before, during, or after the force is exerted. Methods are also provided for regulating bone remodeling, comprising administering an effective amount of vitamin D to an oral or maxillofacial bone, muscle, or soft tissue, or to one or more teeth of a patient in need thereof; and administering an effective amount of light to the oral or maxillofacial bone, muscle, or soft tissue, or to the one or more teeth. Apparatuses useful for providing light therapy and/or vitamin D is also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for correcting a patient's overjet, comprising:
 fitting a functional orthodontic appliance to a patient in need of overjet correction, wherein the appliance creates tension on the patient's intra-oral tissue to reposition the patient's mandible forward or the patient's maxilla backward;   positioning in the patient's oral cavity a light therapy apparatus that includes a light array so that the light array is disposed within the patient's oral cavity overlying a portion of the patient's mandibular alveolar bone or the patient's maxillary alveolar bone; and   intra-orally irradiating, via the light array, light having a wavelength ranging from about 620 nm to about 1200 nm and an intensity ranging from about 20 mW/cm 2  to about 200 mW/cm 2  to the patient's mandibular alveolar bone or maxillary alveolar bone,   wherein the patient wears the appliance during the irradiating,   wherein the tension and light increase the rate of overjet correction compared to that associated with the use of the appliance in the absence of irradiating light.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the appliance is a HERBST appliance, Twin Block appliance, Fixed Twin Block appliance, Bonded Twin Block appliance, BIOBLOC appliance, FORSUS Fatigue appliance, XBOW appliance, mandibular anterior repositioning appliance, Bass Dynamax appliance, Bionator appliance, Open Face Activator appliance, Activator appliance, Woodside Activator appliance, Frankel appliance, Teuscher appliance, Andreson appliance, 3-Way Sagittal appliance, Lower Schwartz appliance, 3 Way Expander appliance, jaw repositioning appliance, removable orthotic appliance, BioPedic Appliance, Ritto Appliance, Alpern Class II Closer appliance, Rapid palatal expander appliance, facemask appliance, reverse pull headgear or conventional orthodontic headgear. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the appliance is a mandibular repositioner that creates tension on the patient's intra-oral tissue to reposition the patient's mandible forward. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the mandibular repositioner is a HERBST appliance. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the mandibular repositioner is a mandibular anterior repositioning appliance. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the mandibular repositioner is a fixed mandibular repositioning appliance. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the intensity is about 200 mW/cm 2 . 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient is a human. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the intensity ranges from about 100 mW/cm 2  to about 200 mW/cm 2 . 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the light array is a first light array, the method further comprising:
 transdermally irradiating light via a second light array to a region of the patient's temporomandibular joint, maxillary bone, mandibular bone, condyle, glenoid fossa, or temporal bone, the second light array overlying the region.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the intra-orally irradiating is at least partially concurrent with the transdermally irradiating. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the wavelength is a first wavelength, and   the intra-orally irradiated light comprises a second wavelength that is different from the first wavelength.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wavelength is a wavelength ranging from about 620 nm to about 684 nm. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wavelength is about 850 nm. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wavelength is about 1100 nm. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the light is irradiated to the mandibular alveolar bone or the maxillary alveolar bone for about 2 minutes to about 10 minutes. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the light is irradiated to the mandibular alveolar bone or the maxillary alveolar bone for about 5 minutes.