A Viscoelastic Model of the Long-Term Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Abstract

The objective of this study was to propose an approach to simulate orthodontic tooth movement by modeling of periodontal ligament as a viscoelastic material. Although there are various models of tooth movement proposed by several authors, most of them are based on empirical remodeling laws without considering nature of biochemical processes occurring in the periodontal ligament during orthodontic tooth movement. The proposed approach allows to describe the process of long-term orthodontic tooth movement more accurately and use it to improve the efficiency of orthodontic treatment.