Fig. 3
From: Long-term follow-up of early cleft maxillary distraction
We performed complementary maxillary protraction using miniplates as the skeletal anchorage. On May 18, 2005, seven-holed curved miniplates were fixed to the zygomatic buttress. Three weeks after the operation, the orthopedic force of 400 g per side for 6 months was applied using a protraction head gear. The direction of the force was 30° downward to the occlusal plane. Pre-protraction (a), after miniplate fixation (b), and post-protraction (c) lateral cephalograms