Almost every patient who sits down for a consultation asks some version of the same question: how long is this going to take? Sometimes there is a date attached — a wedding, senior photos, graduation, a move — and sometimes it is simply that nobody is thrilled about the idea of years in braces.
Accelerated orthodontic treatment is the honest answer to that question. It is not a gimmick and it is not a shortcut that trades away quality. It is a set of tools and techniques that make tooth movement more precise and more efficient, so treatment takes less time than it would have otherwise.
What Accelerated Orthodontic Treatment Actually Means
Accelerated treatment is exactly what it sounds like: orthodontic care designed to reduce treatment time while still delivering an excellent result. It combines advanced imaging, custom digital treatment planning and modern appliance technology to move teeth more predictably.
The important distinction is between moving teeth faster and moving them better. Most of the time gained in accelerated treatment does not come from forcing teeth to move at unsafe speeds. It comes from eliminating wasted movement — from planning the route precisely enough that teeth do not wander toward a position that later has to be corrected. Traditional treatment involves a certain amount of adjust, observe, readjust. Digital planning removes much of that.
How SureSmile Robotic Archwires Shorten Treatment
One of the main ways we deliver accelerated care at Van Vliet & Ganz Orthodontics is with SureSmile robotic archwires.
Here is how it works in practice. SureSmile uses digital 3D imaging to map out your tooth movements in detail. Using that data, your archwires are robotically bent to match your specific treatment plan, rather than being hand-adjusted at each visit. A wire built to your exact target positions delivers more efficient, more controlled force than a generic wire being nudged toward the goal appointment by appointment.
What that means for you:
- Fewer adjustments — the wire is already doing what it was designed to do
- Fewer office visits — which matters if you are commuting, juggling school pickups or working shifts
- Shorter overall treatment time
- More predictable, higher-quality results — precision at the planning stage shows up in the finish
So How Much Faster Is It?
This is where we will resist giving you a number that sounds good in a headline. The time saved depends entirely on what your case needs, and any office promising a fixed number of months off everyone’s treatment is selling rather than diagnosing.
What we can tell you is where the savings come from, which lets you judge whether your case is likely to benefit:
| Precision planning | Teeth take a direct route to their final position instead of being steered there gradually, so fewer months are spent correcting intermediate positions |
| Robotically bent wires | Force is controlled and consistent rather than approximated by hand at each visit |
| Fewer appointments needed | Less of your treatment timeline is spent waiting for the next available adjustment slot |
| In-house 3D printing | Retainers, aligners and appliances are produced in our own office, so you are not waiting on an outside lab’s turnaround |
| Digital scanning | Our iTero scanner captures a precise 3D model in minutes, which means treatment can start sooner and with better data |
Straightforward cases benefit most obviously. Complex cases still benefit from the precision, even when the overall timeline stays long — because the finish tends to be cleaner and there is less back-tracking at the end.
Who Qualifies for Accelerated Treatment?
Accelerated orthodontic treatment tends to be a strong option for:
- Adults who want a shorter timeline. Most adults are not excited about being in treatment for years, and many are weighing it against the professional and social reality of visible appliances.
- Teens with a milestone coming up. Graduation, senior photos, a sports season, a summer program — real dates that matter to the person wearing the braces.
- Patients with demanding schedules. If getting to the office is the hard part, fewer visits is not a luxury, it is what makes treatment possible.
- Anyone who wants a more efficient path. Efficiency is not only about speed; it is about not spending appointments on movement that did not need to happen.
It is worth being straight about the other side too. Some cases are limited by biology rather than by planning. If your case involves significant jaw correction, teeth that need to travel a long distance, or coordination with surgical orthodontics, the timeline has a floor that no technology moves. In those cases we will tell you so at the consultation, rather than letting you start with the wrong expectation.
Does It Work With Braces, Aligners, or Both?
Both. Whether you are in braces or in clear aligners, your treatment plan is tailored to maximize efficiency without cutting corners. The digital planning, 3D imaging and in-house fabrication apply across appliance types; the SureSmile archwires apply specifically to bracket-and-wire treatment.
The right appliance for you is still driven by your case and your preferences. Accelerated care is a way of running the treatment, not a separate product you choose instead of braces or aligners.
What You Still Have to Do
No technology outruns patient cooperation, and this is the part that genuinely determines whether a fast timeline stays fast:
- Wear what you are asked to wear, for as long as you are asked to wear it. With aligners in particular, hours per day is the whole ballgame. Time out of the mouth is time nothing is moving.
- Keep your appointments. Fewer visits only helps if you attend the ones you have. A missed appointment can quietly add weeks.
- Protect your appliance. Broken brackets mean repair visits, and repair visits mean delay.
- Keep your teeth and gums healthy. Inflamed gums and decay interrupt treatment. Good hygiene keeps the plan on schedule.
- Wear your retainer afterward. Finishing quickly and then relapsing is not a win.
What the Process Looks Like From Your Side
Patients are often surprised at how little of accelerated treatment feels like new technology from the chair. The work happens in the planning, and what you notice is mostly the absence of friction.
- A free consultation and digital records. We examine your teeth and bite and scan them with the iTero digital scanner — no impression trays, no gagging, a few minutes in the chair. Where a case needs a fuller picture of the jaws or airway, CBCT imaging gives us the 3D view that traditional X-rays cannot.
- Your plan, mapped in 3D. Your tooth movements are planned digitally before anything is placed on your teeth, and you see where the treatment is going rather than taking it on faith.
- Appliance placement. Braces or aligners go on, and your robotically bent wires are built to your specific plan.
- Fewer, more productive visits. Adjustments happen less often because each wire is already engineered to do more of the work on its own.
- Retention. Your retainers are printed in our own office, so there is no waiting on an outside lab at the point where everyone is eager to finish.
One practical note for Hudson Valley families: fewer appointments also means fewer school pickups rearranged and fewer half-days taken off work. For a family with more than one child in treatment, that difference adds up over a couple of years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is faster treatment safe for my teeth?
Yes, when it is done by controlling force precisely rather than by increasing it. Our board-certified orthodontists plan every case around healthy, controlled tooth movement. Speed never comes at the expense of quality here — the point of the technology is precision, and precision is what produces both the speed and the safety.
Will accelerated treatment cost more?
Fees are driven by what your case requires, not by a surcharge for using better planning tools. You will get your exact fee, your insurance estimate and a monthly payment figure in writing at your consultation. We work with all insurance plans and offer interest-free in-office payment plans.
Can I switch to accelerated treatment if I am already in braces?
Ask us. If you are an existing patient, the answer depends on where you are in your plan and what is left to accomplish. Current patients can call or text (845) 691-8330 and we will look at it.
Does it mean fewer visits to the office?
Typically yes. More controlled force and robotically bent wires mean fewer adjustment appointments across the course of treatment.
How do I find out if I qualify?
A consultation. We examine your teeth and bite, take digital records, and assess your needs and goals to determine whether you are a good candidate for accelerated care. Consultations are free.
Get a Realistic Timeline for Your Smile
Van Vliet & Ganz Orthodontics has served Hudson Valley families since 1978, with more than 10,000 patients treated. Dr. Martin F. Van Vliet and Dr. Bradford W. Ganz are both board-certified orthodontists, and our office runs a fully digital workflow — iTero scanning, CBCT imaging and in-house 3D printing — because that is what makes efficient treatment possible.
Find us at 19 Woodside Place in Highland, NY. New patients can call (845) 834-9580; current patients can call or text (845) 691-8330. We are open Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 9:00am to 2:00pm.
Schedule your free consultation and find out how much time your case can realistically save.
