Devices & Techniques: Intraoral Distraction
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The introduction of intraoral appliances significantly improved mandibular osteodistraction techniques. The major advantages included the inconspicuous nature of the devices and the absence of facial scars. However, the development of intraoral appliances has design limitations primarily related to the limited size of the device and the restricted access of the oral cavity. Due to these limitations, further development of intraoral distraction appliances took different approaches than extraoral osteodistraction. These approaches include 1) design of specialized devices based on anatomical location (corpus, ramus) or clinical application (lengthening, widening, etc.), 2) development of universal distractors adaptable to any location of the craniofacial skeleton, and 3) custom made individually preprogrammed devices.

FIG. 3.3.4. Direction of the development of intraoral distraction devices.

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