Effect of appliance reactivation after decay of initial activation on osteoclasts, tooth movement, and root resorption

Clinical orthodontists frequently reactivate appliances following decay. Studies of tooth movement and tissue responses following reactivations indicate that linear tooth movement and rapid recruitment of osteoclasts can be achieved if reactivation is timed to coincide with the latter part of the bone remodeling cycle initiated by the first activation. Both can be delayed if reactivations are timed for the early part of the previous cycle. The objective of this study was to examine tooth movement, root resorption, and osteoclast recruitment following appliance reactivation after the first activation had decayed. Bilateral orthodontic appliances were activated with 40 cN in 144 rats to mesially tip the maxillary molars. After 16 days, rats were randomized into two groups of 72. In group 1, appliances were reactivated in precisely the same manner as the first activation In group 2, appliances were sham-reactivated, Rats were sacrificed at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 days. Orthodontic movement was measured cephalometrically; changes in osteoclasts and root resorption were assessed at both compression and tension sites histomorphometrically; tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) was measured in alveolar bone and serum biochemically. Orthodontic tooth movement was linear in group 1, but osteoclasts required 3 to 5 days to appear. There were no group- or time-related differences in root resorption. Bone TRAP levels were elevated in both groups but dropped significantly (p < 0.01) in group 2 at day 7. Appliance reactivations that followed decay of the first activation produced efficient tooth movement without increased risk of root resorption, but these changes were not accompanied by rapid osteoclast recruitment at compression sites. Timing appliance reactivations for the latter portion of the previous bone remodeling cycle could have significant clinical advantages because the delay period seen in tooth movement following a single activation or short-term reactivation can be avoided.