Alberto Andrade-Guerra, DDS
Introduction
Despite the general acceptance of osteodistraction for correcting severe maxillofacial deformities, the available intraoral appliances for gradual lengthening of the mandible have not yet been perfected. Criteria for an adequate intraoral distraction appliance include minimal injury to bone and soft tissue during application, ease of adjustment, insignificant discomfort during lengthening, simplicity of device removal after lengthening, etc. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce the intraoral distraction appliance that we designed for independent or simultaneous bilateral mandibular lengthening.