Patent ID: 7981118

Claim:
A distraction apparatus for expansion of an upper jaw bone after osteotomy by application of distraction forces directly to a bone of a palate with the aim to reconstruct the jaw by increasing a distance between two opposing bone segments by gradually stretching, the distraction apparatus comprising: a distraction module having two outer ends located at a mutual distance from each other; an expansion screw in the distraction module, the expansion screw configured to alter said mutual distance; and two abutment plates that are non-integrally formed with the distraction module and have a bone contacting surface and are adapted for being fixed directly to a surface of the bone of the palate, wherein said abutment plates are provided with extensions that extend away from the bone contacting surface, a receiving sleeve formed by the extensions of each abutment plate, said sleeve having side walls, and designed to rotatably and hingeably receive the distraction module ends, wherein the ends of the distraction module are hingeably and releasably connected to the receiving sleeves of the abutment plates to allow movement of the abutment plates relative to the distraction module in the forward, backward, upward, and downward directions; wherein the abutment plates comprise base plates which are provided with at least one hole for a fastener, said base plates being malleable at least in areas thereof adjacent the extension; and wherein the ends of the distraction module can be removed from the receiving sleeves of the plates by rotating the expansion screw.