The Minne Skinny April 2025
- Invisian Medical
- Apr 17, 2025
- 3 min read
Minne Ties® IFU Access
The complete Minne Ties Instructions for Use (IFU) is a valuable source of important information including Indications for Use, Contraindications, Warnings and Precautions, and Directions for Use. To support best practices and informed use, we encourage all surgeons and clinical staff to review the IFU, which can be accessed online by clicking here or by reaching out to our office at (913) 228-1857 or customerservice@minneties.com.
As a reminder, Minne Ties are MR Unsafe and must be removed prior to MRI procedures. Please consider this in your preoperative planning and postoperative care instructions.
If you have any questions or need additional clinical guidance, our team is here to help.
MMF Article of the Month
Techniques for Maxillomandibular Fixation: Old and New
A review published online on April 2nd 2025 in the journal Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery by Akkina et al. provides a comprehensive overview of current techniques for achieving maxillomandibular fixation (MMF). The authors categorize the most widely used MMF methods—traditional arch bars, screw-based systems, and wire-based alternatives—detailing their respective indications, benefits, and limitations.
The authors note that Erich arch bars (EABs), in use since the 1940s, remain the most robust technique for complex or comminuted fractures due to their ability to provide strong, multi-vector stabilization. However, they are associated with significant downsides, including extended application time, increased sharps risk, gingival trauma, and compromised oral hygiene. These drawbacks, they write, have led to a gradual shift toward faster, less invasive techniques in appropriate cases.
The authors found that screw-based options, such as intermaxillary fixation (IMF) screws and hybrid systems, offer improvements in surgical efficiency and hygiene but carry the potential risk of tooth root injury and loosening. Hybrid systems, which combine aspects of EABs and IMF screws, aim to balance stability with convenience but still introduce complications such as mucosal overgrowth and screw-related issues.
Wire-based alternatives, the authors explain, continue to hold relevance—particularly for temporary intraoperative use. Embrasure wires, for example, are effective for short-term occlusion but require removal before patient discharge.
Among the newer technologies reviewed, dental occlusion ties (DOTs), commercially known as Minne Ties, are described as a rapid, blunt-tipped, non-invasive technique that allows for safe intraoperative MMF. They are passed through interproximal spaces between teeth and tightened to bring the upper and lower jaws into occlusion. "As demonstrated in Fig. 4a, the low profile of DOTs allows maximal access to fractures for ORIF. Whereas Erich arch bars, IMF screws, and hybrid systems compete for space on the face of the mandible and/or maxilla, DOTs' tight conformation to the teeth avoids this issue allowing for easier plate and screw placement and suturing of incisions."
The authors cite prior studies, including Schopper et al. (2024), that report shorter application times and fewer complications when DOTs are used. A key distinction they raise is the potential for postoperative use: in contrast to embrasure wires, Minne Ties can remain in place beyond the OR, assuming the patient has sufficient dentition and the fracture is not severely displaced.
Still, the authors caution that DOTs are not suitable for all patients. They recommend them for use in cases with good dentition and relatively uncomplicated fracture patterns. For more severe fractures, traditional methods like EABs continue to be preferred.
The authors conclude that MMF technique selection should be based on multiple factors including the severity of fractures, the need to maintain occlusion postoperatively, application/removal time, safety, and patient comfort. As they state in their conclusion, "With many accepted options to achieve MMF, surgeons are charged with selecting techniques that maximize outcomes while minimizing discomfort, side effects, complications, risks to the surgical team and patient, and cost. Ultimately, surgeons must rely primarily on assessing patients' circumstances balanced with maximizing efficiency and safety to select the best technique for each situation."
Of note, one of the authors of the review, Dr. Alan Johnson, receives royalties from the University of Minnesota for inventing dental occlusion ties. This conflict of interest is disclosed in the publication.
Invisian Medical at the 2025 ASTMJS Annual Meeting
Invisian Medical was honored to exhibit at The 2025 ASTMJS Annual Meeting in San Diego. Thank you to those who were able to visit us at our booth. We enjoyed connecting with everyone and having engaging conversations!
As with most surgical procedures, there are risks associated with maxillomandibular fixation (MMF), including with Minne Ties. For complete information regarding indications for use, additional application and removal instructions, risks, contraindications, warnings, precautions and adverse events, please review the device’s Instructions for Use (IFU) included in the package and at www.minneties.com.
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