In people undergoing maxillary canine retraction, LASER usage was associated with lower treatment duration and a greater rate of canine distalization.

A split-mouth study was conducted to assess the influence of LASER on rate of movement of orthodontic tooth.

For assisting canine distalization, the LASER procedure was conducted on right maxillary quadrant. Conventional canine distalization was conducted in the left maxillary quadrant. A total of 4 perforations (1.5 mm diameter each) were made distal to canine in non-contact mode.

Utilizing NiTi closed coil springs (length = 9 mm) with 150 gm approximate force for both sides,  distalization was started following LASER procedure. Recording of pain experienced by patient after surgical procedure was also done.

The mean distance travelled, and mean rate of canine distalization on LASER side and control side is depicted in Table 1:

Compared to control side, the distribution of mean rate of canine distalization and distribution of mean distance travelled by canine between the cases was greater on LASER side. Improvement in pain was witnessed in a higher percentage of cases at 24 hours compared to pain improvement at 3 hours.

Using LASER during  maxillary canine retraction minimized treatment duration, and raised the rate of canine distalization. No severe complications were reported following LASER-assisted alveolar corticotomies.