Device for bone distraction and tooth movement

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for performing bone distraction and/or tooth movement, and more particularly to a widening or contracting device which is capable of effecting bone distraction in more than one plane of space simultaneously. In its broadest aspects, the present invention is a device that can be used for bone distraction or osteogenesis, as well as tooth movement, which includes an expandible (or contractible) member for affixation in the oral cavity of a patient. The device is adapted to provide distraction of a selected craniofacial bone, such as the mandible, or movement of teeth, simultaneously in more than one plane of space. The expandible (or contractible) member includes a mechanism for expanding (or contracting) the expandible (or contractible) member to achieve the desired distraction of the selected bone or movement of selected teeth.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.