A “corticotomy” refers to a procedure where we make cuts in the bone to disrupt the outer (cortical) bone layer in the area of the tooth roots to cause the release of reparative factors from the bone and tissues. These factors signal the bone and surrounding teeth to heal, but it has been found that these factors also act as signals to the body to be very open to change. That is, the healing or reparative process is also a process that accelerates changes like tooth movements. It is for this response that we perform this procedure. Once stimulated in this way, the surrounding bone and teeth are much more “open” to orthodontic and orthopedic treatments and this can result in tooth movements much more quickly and even tooth movements that were previously not possible. This procedure must be differentiated from corticectomy, which is a much more invasive procedure, and involves removal of the top layer of the bone in the area of the teeth.
I prefer the corticotomy procedure and most recently we have applied this technique in a case of adult orthodontics in a patient who has also undergone orthognathic surgery (corrective jaw surgery for a developmental jaw/bite abnormality).
If you have questions, call Wagner Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Specialists at (262) 634-4646 to learn more.