OraPlace™ Contracture Tools
The OraPlace™ Tools prevent and treat contractures of the face and mouth for improved facial animation and lip closure after fibrosis from burns, surgery, radiation, scleroderma, and trauma. The OraPlace tools allow for multidimensional 3D stretching of the face, lips and cheeks from inside the mouth to elongate facial muscles and skin. Their design allows for low load prolonged stretching (LLPS) for treatment of the face to maximize facial pliability where it is needed. The OraPlace™ Tools come in 3 shapes with 3 sizes each, to target the unique contours of the face and provide escalating tissue expansion.
Facial contractures can reduce pliability and motion of the face, limiting facial expression, lip closure, and the oral opening. With reduced orofacial function, patients cannot be orally intubated in emergencies or receive critical dental interventions. Patients also suffer major reductions in quality of life factors, including of eating, drinking, speaking, dental care, and socialization. The OraPlace tools can help prevent or treat loss of these important functions.
Prevention:
The OraPlace tools can be used for immediate intervention after burns to prevent contractures, including with sedated and ventilated patients in acute care. The tools can be used soon after graft surgery to maintain the graft length. Early intervention can maintain facial pliability and motion to prevent the loss of function. Preventative treatment to the modiolus can also reduce the need for later oral commisure releases.
Treatment:
After facial contractures, the OraPlace tools can be used to stretch and lengthen facial muscles and skin for increased tissue pliability and end-rage movement. The unique shapes of the tools allow for treatment to the specific locations of the contractures around the face. Increasing the size of the tools over time provides LLPS for tissue expansion and increased pliability of the face and mouth.
Products:
- The OraPlace Prevention Kit - CR1810 - Includes one each of the large bar, ball and boomerang tools. These larger tools help maintain the full size and motion of the tissues.
- The OraPlace Expansion Kit - CR1800 - Includes 9 tools, the bar, ball and boomerang tools in small, medium and large. Starting with the small tools, the patient can slowly increase their size over time to elongate the tissues for increase end-rage motion.
The Tools:
The 3 shapes include:
- The Bar Tool - Targets the area above and below the lips, i.e. under the philtrum and the mentolabial junction.
- The Ball Tool - Targets the deep pockets of the nasal labial folds and smile lines.
- The Boomerang Tool - Targets the cheeks and mid-line areas along the teeth.
Target Areas