Patent ID: 7347687

Claim:
A kit of parts for constructing a distraction appliance for orthodontic/orthognathic and maxillofacial surgery purposes on the mandible for the distraction of an anterior mandibular bone segment above the chin bone against the lower mandibular rim, said bone segment having an upper extremity and a lower extremity, said kit comprising, in combination: a first distractor module and a second distractor module, wherein the first distractor module is substantially U-shaped and adapted to a dental arch and has a mid-segment and on both sides thereof an end-segment, wherein each end-segment is connected to the mid-segment via a linear distraction element and wherein each end-segment has means for fixating the respective end segment on the mandible and means for fixating the mid-segment to the upper extremity of the bone segment, wherein the second distractor module is connectable to the bone segment above the chin bone and has means for fixating the same at the lower extremity of the bone segment; wherein the first distractor module and the second distractor module, when fixated on a mandible, are operative together to apply pressure to both the upper and lower extremities of the anterior mandibular bone segment, respectively, to distract the bone segment outward from the lower mandibular rim.