CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/342581 filed May 27, 2016. The entire contents and substance of the above applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to orthodontic appliances, and methods of using the same.

2. Related Art

Patients seeking orthodontic treatment are for the most part primarily concerned with the presence of crooked teeth, primarily in the front area of the mouth. Among the chief complaints are dental crowding, flaring, irregularity in tooth alignment, unpleasing tooth appearance, "gummy" smile, and difficulty in chewing, among other issues. These issues are commonly solved through the use of braces.

The person of skill in the art will understand the various phases and stages of orthodontic treatment. For example, the working stage can have a number of treatments and movements, including, but not limited to, alignment, coordination, correction of overbite, correction of overjet, and space closure. As an additional example, the finishing stage can include, but is not limited to, the refinement of work done during the working stage.

The application of braces moves the teeth as a result of force and pressure on the teeth. There are traditionally four basic elements used in conventional orthodontics: brackets, bonding material, archwire, and ligature elastic - also called an "O-ring". The teeth move when the archwire puts pressure on the brackets and teeth. Sometimes springs or rubber bands are used to put more force in a specific direction.

Braces have constant pressure that, over time, moves teeth into the desired positions. The process loosens the tooth after which new bone grows in to support the tooth in its new position. This is called bone remodeling. Bone remodeling is a biomechanical process responsible for making bones stronger in response to sustained load-bearing activity and weaker in the absence of carrying a load. Bones are remodeled by cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Two different kinds of bone resorption are possible which are called direct resorption, starting from the lining cells of the alveolar bone, and indirect or retrograde resorption, which takes place when the periodontal ligament has become subjected to an excessive amount and duration of compressive stress. Another important factor associated with tooth movement is bone deposition. Bone deposition occurs in the distracted periodontal ligament and without bone deposition, the tooth will loosen and voids will occur distal to the direction of tooth movement.

When braces put pressure on teeth, the periodontal membrane stretches on one side and is compressed on the other. If this movement is not done with the appropriate amount of pressure, then the patient risks root resorption (shortening of the roots) and in severe cases, possible loss of teeth. This is why braces are commonly worn for a year or more and adjustments are only made every few weeks. A tooth will usually move about a millimeter per month during orthodontic movement, but there is high individual variability. Orthodontic mechanics can vary in efficiency, which partly explains the wide range of response to orthodontic treatment.

The interplay between bracket geometry and archwire is important. Namely, the effective size of the slot is of fundamental importance in orthodontic biomechanics. The earliest edgewise appliances featured brackets with slots of height 0.022". In the 1930's, however, with the introduction of more rigid steel alloys, archwire diameters began to get smaller. This led to a bracket design with a slot of 0.018", which were threaded with working archwires of cross section .017" x .025" and full-thickness archwires of .018" x .025".

From the 1970s onwards, manufacturers introduced and perfected the straight-wire technique, using working wires of dimensions .019" x .025" and greater thickness wires of .021 " x .025" in slot size 0.022". This marked the start of a divergence between two of the most widespread orthodontic systems: those involving 0.022" slots and those relying on 0.018" slots.

Over the same period, the archwires also began to evolve. In the 1930s, the first chromium/nickel/steel alloy wires were introduced, and in the 1950s, chromium/cobalt archwires were developed, whose rigidity increases when heat-treated. In the 1960s, the US Navy created a revolutionary 'shape-memory' alloy, Nitinol, which is 50% more elastic than conventional steel and has a much broader range of action. This was followed, in 1980, by the launch of beta-titanium (TMA) archwires, made of a formable alloy of elasticity between steel and nickel titanium (NiTi).

The .022" system has mechanical advantages in some clinical situations, such as during sliding mechanics when a .019" x .025" stainless steel archwire is used, nevertheless, .018" system seems to be superior in the amount of the couple it is able to express, when a .017" x .025" stainless steel archwire is engaged. On the other hand, clinical studies on the final outcome of .018" and .022" systems did not show any significant difference, as the operator experience seems to be the fundamental parameter.

Both the properties of the material from which it is made (elastic modulus and elastic or superelastic behavior) and the geometry (cross section and relative size to the slot) of an archwire will influence its capacity to express torque. For this reason, tests to determine the passive play and the relative torque expression capacity of brackets with 0.018" and 0.022" slots when threaded with archwires of different size, cross section and material have been conducted.

Specific to bracket slot heights, historically in orthodontics, there have been two sizes: .018" and .022". Approximately 90% of orthodontists currently use .022". The overwhelming majority of orthodontists in practice today do not utilize a full-size wire (.022" height), which completely fills the slot height. Use of .021 " or .022" height wires would exert excessive forces on the brackets and teeth and would cause bracket bonding failure or pain to the orthodontic patient. Rather, the most common wire utilized has a height of .019". The reason that .019" height wires are most commonly used is that they have ideal mechanical properties to be used during the working and finishing stages of orthodontic treatment. However, this leaves a tremendous amount of play between the wire and bracket.

For example, a recent study calculated this torsional play to be 13-30 degrees in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction, depending on the brand of wire and brand of bracket, due to differing manufacturer's tolerances. This means that there is 26-60 degrees of total play in between the .022" brackets and the .019" wires tested. Even at the smallest end of the spectrum, this is an enormous amount of play and demonstrates the lack of torsional control that a .019" height wire exerts in a .022" height bracket. Thus, despite the need for an orthodontic appliance capable of producing mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control, orthodontists continue to use appliances with slot heights that produce non-ideal properties.

It would thus be beneficial to find solutions to the above torsional control deficiencies in conventional orthodontic brackets that also exhibit ideal or near-ideal mechanical properties during the working and finishing stages of orthodontic treatment. The present disclosure directs its primary object to providing such a solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides an improved orthodontic bracket which improves the interplay between bracket geometry and archwire. The present disclosure provides an interplay between the bracket and the archwire by providing a combination of torsional control and mechanical properties used during the working and finishing stages of orthodontic treatment.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an orthodontic bracket that accurately fits the wires most commonly used in orthodontic practices is disclosed. The present bracket comprises a slot height of .020", resulting in much improved torsional control when coupled with the overwhelming commonly used .019" height wire.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, an orthodontic system comprises an archwire having an archwire height and a bracket having a slot height, wherein the difference between the slot height and the archwire height is .01 ".

In yet another embodiment the orthodontic bracket has a certain torsional play value and/or total play value. The torsional play value and total play value can be any value advantageous to producing mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, the drawings herein illustrate examples. The drawings, however, do not limit the scope of the invention. For example, while the drawings show a self-ligating orthodontic bracket, they are not limited to that structure and the present disclosure includes other types of orthodontic braces, brackets, and other structures.

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a self-ligating bracket.

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of a self-ligating bracket, wherein the bracket additionally comprises a gingival hook.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a self-ligating bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To facilitate an understanding of the principles and features of the various embodiments of the invention, various illustrative embodiments are explained below.

Although embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that other embodiments are contemplated. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention is limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, in describing the embodiments, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

For example, reference to a component is intended also to include composition of a plurality of components. References to a composition containing "a" constituent is intended to include other constituents in addition to the one named.

Also, in describing the embodiments, terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is intended that each term contemplates its broadest meaning as understood by those skilled in the art and includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

Ranges may be expressed herein as from "about" or "approximately" or

"substantially" one particular value and/or to "about" or "approximately" or "substantially" another particular value. When such a range is expressed, other embodiments include from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, as used herein, "substantially free" of something, or "substantially pure", and like characterizations, can include both being "at least substantially free" of something, or "at least substantially pure," and being "completely free" of something, or "completely pure."

By "comprising" or "containing" or "including" is meant that at least the named compound, element, particle, or method step is present in the composition or article or method, but does not exclude the presence of other compounds, materials, particles, method steps, even if the other such compounds, material, particles, method steps have the same function as what is named.

It is also to be understood that the mention of one or more method steps does not preclude the presence of additional method steps or intervening method steps between those steps expressly identified. Similarly, it is also to be understood that the mention of one or more components in a composition does not preclude the presence of additional components than those expressly identified.

The materials described as making up the various elements of the invention are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many suitable materials that would perform the same or a similar function as the materials described herein are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention. Such other materials not described herein can include, but are not limited to, for example, materials that are developed after the time of the development of the invention.

As described above, the interplay between bracket geometry and archwire is important. The most common wire utilized has a height of .019". The reason that .019" height wires are most commonly used is that they have ideal mechanical properties to be used during the working and finishing stages of orthodontic treatment. However, this leaves a tremendous amount of play between the wire and a bracket with a .022" slot height.

A recent study calculated this torsional play to be 13-30 degrees in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction, depending on the brand of wire and brand of bracket, due to differing manufacturer's tolerances. This means that there is 26-60 degrees of total play in between the .022" brackets and the .019" wires tested. Even at the smallest end of the spectrum, this is an enormous amount of play and demonstrates the lack of torsional control that a .019" height wire exerts in a .022" slot height bracket. Thus, despite the need for an orthodontic appliance capable of producing mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control, orthodontists continue to use appliances with slot heights that produce non-ideal properties.

Torque moments are measured using a mechanical force testing system, which twists straight pieces of stainless steel wire seated in the bracket being tested in increments of 0.5 inches until a full torsional expression is registered. This test yields both the torsional play and total play of the tested bracket. The test uses the Force System Identification machine developed for the Section of Orthodontics of the Institute of Odontology, Aarhus University (Melsen et ah, 1992). Movements of the sensors are generated by six computer-controlled incremental motors and occur stepwise with a minimal increment of 0.1 mm for translation and 0.15° for rotation. The sensors are initially positioned in a predetermined position, which are stored in a connected computer and used as the zero-position throughout the total experiment. The movement of the sensors to the desired location is controlled by the computer and carried out by the step-motors. Sixteen strain-gauges inside the sensors measure deformations, which are amplified, converted into digital signals and calibrated to forces and moments and the computer then records and stores these data. The three planes of space are represented by the x-, y- and z-axes. They are illustrated as an orthogonal right- handed coordinate system at the two sensors. The forces and moments can therefore have a positive or negative sign. The reproducibility of the system has been previously reported and was found to be within plus/minus 5%.

Brackets are glued onto an aluminium bar in a row of ten (five brackets from the same system). Every slot is perpendicular to the long axis of the aluminium rod. This rod is fixed to the grips, allowing one bracket to be tested at a time. The rod with the brackets is attached to one of the sensors and either a rectangular 0.017 x 0.022-inch (for testing 0.018- inch brackets) or a 0.019 x 0.025-inch straight stainless steel archwire (for testing 0.022-inch brackets) is fixed to the rotating sensor on the opposite side and guided passively into the bracket slot. In the case of self-ligating brackets, the lock or clip was is closed and for conventional brackets the ligation is performed in a standardized way with 0.008-inch stainless steel ligatures tied tightly, while the wire is pressed onto the bottom of the bracket with an instrument as done in clinical practice. Measurements of the torqueing moments and the corresponding torqueing angles are carried out while the wire is being twisted in the bracket slot. The machine measures by twisting the wire in steps of 0.5 inches up until full moment expression is achieved (i.e. the moment vs. torsional angle curve had reached its maximal slope). The torqueing wire is then returned to its zero position and the test is repeated in the opposite direction to ensure full torsional expression of the wire in the slot in both directions. Torsional play is defined as the width of the flatter part of the curve, before full expression of the torqueing moment is reached. Especially for the brackets with conventional ligation, but also for some of the active self-ligating brackets, some build-up of torqueing moment will be observed before the full torsional moment expression is reached. The amount of this moment is divided by the amount of play of the corresponding bracket to calculate the amount of 'residual' stiffness (RS) in the play region. Moment— torque angle curves are constructed and are normalized by placing the origin at the middle of the play region, both to compensate for asymmetric bracket shape in the torqueing plane and to be able to make a comparison between the different brands of brackets. The measurements are carried out on five brackets from each of the 32 different bracket systems to evaluate the Ultra-bracket variation. The torque wire is never twisted to plastic deformation, or such that notching of the wire could give rise to scratches, which is checked by visual and tactile inspection.

This test and an application of the test is detailed completely in Dalstra et al., Actual Versus Theoretical Torsional Play in Conventional and Self-Ligating Bracket Systems, Journal of Orthodontics, Vol. 0, 2015, 1-11.

Despite the availability of data from, for example, the test mentioned above, which shows the need for an orthodontic appliance capable of producing mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control, orthodontists continue to use appliances with slot heights that produce non-ideal properties.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides both torsion control and mechanical properties suited to the working and finishing stages of orthodontic treatment, as well as an orthodontic bracket that accurately fits the wires most commonly used in orthodontic practices. For example, the present disclosure can comprise a bracket with a slot height of .020", resulting in much improved torsional control when coupled with the overwhelming commonly used .019" height wire. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, an orthodontic system comprises an archwire having an archwire height and a bracket having a slot height, wherein the difference between the slot height and the archwire height is .01 ".

In yet another embodiment the orthodontic bracket has a torsional play value. The torsional play value can be any value producing mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control. Examples of torsional control values that are contemplated herein include, but are not limited to, values less than 13 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 12 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 11 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 10 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 9 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 8 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 7 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 6 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 5 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 4 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 3 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 2 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, less than 1 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction. Further examples include torsional control values from 1 to 13 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, as well as but not limited to the ranges of 1 to 12, 1 to 11, 1 to 10, 1 to 9, 1 to 8, 1 to 7, 1 to 6, 1 to 5, 1 to 4, 1 to 3, 1 to 2, 2 to 13, 3 to 13, 4 to 13, 5 to 13, 6 to 13, 7 to 13, 8 to 13, 9 to 13, 10 to 13, 11 to 13, 12 to 13, 12 to less than 13, 11 to less than 13, 10 to less than 13, 9 to less than 13, 8 to less than 13, 7 to less than 13, 6 to less than 13, 5 to less than 13, 4 to less than 13, 3 to less than 13, 2 to less than 13, 1 to less than 13, 6 to 7, 5 to 8, 4 to 9, 3 to 10, and 2 to 11 ; all in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction.

In still another embodiment the orthodontic bracket has a total play value. The total play value can be any value producing mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control. Examples of total control values that are contemplated herein include, but are not limited to, values of total play less than 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 degrees. Further examples include, but are not limited to, total control values from 1 to 26 degrees, as well as the ranges of 1 to 25, 1 to 24, 1 to 23, 1 to 22, 1 to 21, 1 to 20, 1 to 19, 1 to 18, 1 to 17, 1 to 16, 1 to 15, 1 to 14, 1 to 13, 1 to 12, 1 to 11, 1 to 10, 1 to 9, 1 to 8, 1 to 7, 1 to 6, 1 to 5, 1 to 4, 1 to 3, 1 to 2, 2 to 26, 3 to 26, 4 to 26, 5 to 26, 6 to 26, 7 to 26, 8 to 26, 9 to 26, 10 to 26, 11 to 26, 12 to 26, 13 to 26, 14 to 26, 15 to 26, 16 to 26, 17 to 26, 18 to 26, 19 to 26, 20 to 26, 21 to 26, 22 to 26, 23 to 26, 24 to 26, 25 to 26, 25 to less than 26, 24 to less than 26, 23 to less than 26, 22 to less than 26, 21 to less than 26, 20 to less than 26, 19 to less than 26, 18 to less than 26, 17 to less than 26, 16 to less than 26, 15 to less than 26, 14 to less than 26, 13 to less than 26, 12 to less than 26, 11 to less than 26, 10 to less than 26, 9 to less than 26, 8 to less than 26, 7 to less than 26, 6 to less than 26, 5 to less than 26, 4 to less than 26, 3 to less than 26, 2 to less than 26, 1 to less than 26, 13 to 14, 12 to 15, 11 to 16, 10 to 17, 9 to 18, 8 to 19, 7 to 20, 6 to 21, 5 to 22, 4 to 23, 3 to 24, 2 to 25.

An embodiment of the present disclosure can be seen in FIG 1. FIG. 1 illustrates a frontal view of a self-ligating bracket 100, which can comprise, for example, a height in its slot 110 of .020". In another embodiment, the slot height 110 can be .01 " greater than the arch wire height of the archwire used with the bracket. In yet another embodiment, the orthodontic bracket can have a torsional play value or range, or total play value or range, that produce mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control.

An embodiment of the present disclosure can be seen in FIG 2. FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a self-ligating bracket 200, which can comprise, for example, a height in its slot 210 of .020". In another embodiment, the slot height 210 can be .01 " greater than the archwire height of the archwire used with the bracket. In yet another embodiment, the orthodontic bracket can have a torsional play value or range, or total play value or range, that produce mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control.

An embodiment of the present disclosure can be seen in FIG 3. FIG. 3 illustrates another perspective view of a self-ligating bracket 300, which can comprise, for example, a height in its slot 310 of .020". FIG. 3 also shows a gingival hook 320. In another embodiment, the slot height 310 can be .01 " greater than the archwire height of the archwire used with the bracket. In yet another embodiment, the orthodontic bracket can have a torsional play value or range, or total play value or range, that produce mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control.

An embodiment of the present disclosure can be seen in FIG 4. FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a self-ligating bracket 400, which can comprise, for example, a height in its slot 410 of .020". In another embodiment, the slot height 410 can be .01 " greater than the archwire height of the archwire used with the bracket. In yet another embodiment, the orthodontic bracket can have a torsional play value or range, or total play value or range, that produce mechanical properties suited to finishing treatment and additionally exhibiting torsion control.

An embodiment of the present disclosure can include, for example, a mesial occlusal tie wing, a distal occlusal tie wing, mesial gingival tie wing, and a distal gingival tie wing. A mesial to distal extending archwire slot, can be located between the gingival tie wings and the occlusal tie wings.

An embodiment of the present disclosure can have a slot size that is variable in both the occlusal gingival and facial lingual dimension. An aspect in reducing friction and binding forces is the contact of the wire with the archwire slot floor, or lingual surface of the bracket slot. There are a variety of available designs that are used for the lingual surface or the bracket slot floor. Some designs are continuous from mesial to distal and some are split in the middle between the tie wings.

The person of skill in the art will understand that the present disclosure is capable of being used with many different types of orthodontic braces, brackets, and other structures. For example, the conventional design for an orthodontic bracket permits the engagement of an archwire into an archwire slot by ligation using elastomeric or wire ligatures wrapped around the tie wings of the bracket. Another example of an orthodontic appliance is a passive self-ligating (or so-called fnctionless) bracket system, in which a separate second member, named the ligating slide, is constructed and is assembled in a self-ligating bracket system. It is displaced to open or close the archwire slot so as to retreat or retain an archwire, respectively. Meanwhile, the play between the sizes of the bracket slot and the archwire permit the sliding of the tooth along the archwire with less friction and/or resistance. In addition, because the design is without ligature wire, tooth cleansing becomes an easier chore for the patient. A self-ligating orthodontic bracket can comprise, for example, a bracket body and a uniquely constructed ligating slide. The bracket body may be further described as comprising a mounting base having a concavely contoured surface suitable for attachment to a tooth, a main archwire slot formed upon said base, and sized for receiving an orthodontic archwire, a bracket deck and a resilient retention feature, and a ligating slide overlaying the archwire slot in a closed position. The unique resilient retention feature can be constructed as part of the orthodontic bracket so as to stably and firmly hold the ligating slide in an open position for retrieving the wire, or in a closed position for retaining the orthodontic wire, within the archwire slot. The bracket can also be constructed in such a way as to be resistant to slippage off of the bracket body.

In some embodiments, a retention feature of a self-ligating bracket may be described as comprising a modified dumbbell channel that is defined by a narrow shaft and two wider spaced apart concentric circles. One of the circular ends can function as a slide stop circle, and functions to retain the ligating slide in its open position when in operation, as well as to prevent sliding movement that might result in the disengagement of the ligating slide from the bracket. Another circular end which is located adjacent to the archwire slot, can present a truncated cup-like holding circle design, and functions to secure the ligating slide in its closed position, and thereby retain the archwire within the archwire slot of the bracket. The two circular relief areas can be designed to accommodate a gear, which is a cylindrical protrusion in the underside of the ligating slide, to seat in the open and the closed position.

The bracket can further comprise a bracket deck. The bracket deck can be characterized by several relief areas. These relief areas are suitable for the purpose of securing the open and closed position of the ligating slide of the bracket system without slipping off the bracket body.

In some embodiments, the resilient retention features reside within the bracket body of the self-ligating bracket. The resilient feature is designed to provide an S shaped resilient retention feature that resides in between the modified dumbbell channel and the lake of the deck. The deck, in more detail, includes three elongated relief areas, namely a modified dumbbell relief area with two spaced-apart concentric circles at both ends and a detent middle portion. The lake resides in the center among the relief areas. A cylindrical post travels in between the two circles, the cylindrical post being built in the underside of the ligating slide. Thus, the concert efforts of the post in the ligating slide and relief area within the bracket body provide a controlling mechanism in the current devise construct.

The front outer surface of the device construct can be smoothly designed, and can be constructed so as to avoid the inclusion of unnecessary features. This plain smooth surface provides, among other advantages, the feature of minimizing the trapping any food debris or accumulation of plaque.

The ligation slide may be made of any variety of appropriate materials with strength and structural integrity, including but not limited to stainless steel or zirconia, and may be fabricated to include any variety of colors of the patient's choice, so as to even further enhance patient preference and satisfaction. By way of example, the ligation slide can be made of materials such as stainless steel, ceramic, alumina or zirconia with various colors including white, black, pink, yellow, green, dark blue and others. The color coded ligating slide, by way of further example, may be fabricated so as to include the color of choice according to the patient's selection.

In some embodiments, the ligation slide may be described as having a relatively thick construction and as having sufficient structural mechanical strength strong enough to resist significant strain and/or distortion, such as that which may be caused by a heavy size archwire. The ligation slide thus is constructed so as to be capable of holding a twisted wire in a contortion that maintains a proper torque correction of the crown or root when in place in the oral cavity. In use, the ligation slide by virtue of its unique design functions to relay mechanical force to the tooth during treatment when used in concert with archwire when in use.

In some embodiments, the orthodontic self-ligating bracket may further include an auxiliary archwire slot for an additional archwire, this additional archwire being incorporated in the rotational and/or torque control of specific teeth. Yet another feature of the orthodontic self-ligating bracket is a rugged bottom to the bracket base. This feature, among other things, functions to increase surface area for the extra-bonding materials to adhere and to produce a mechanical anchor effect to the teeth, in addition to the inherent chemical binding ability of the bonding materials.

Another aspect of the present disclosure can provide for an improved orthodontic bracket that may be used to provide a treatment objective for the correction of rotated teeth in a patient, in particular rotation of the front teeth. Among the crowded or crooked teeth, the main contributing factor can be defined as the rotation of a tooth or teeth. Thus, a method for the correction of a rotated tooth or teeth with the herein described orthodontic bracket system is provided, and is particularly applicable for correction of this orthodontic problem in the front area, correcting for an awkward tooth crowding situation.

The present self-ligating brackets provide for the early correction of rotated teeth with adequate time for the subsequent remodeling of the underlying tissue throughout the treatment. A wider mesio-distal dimension of the bracket width serves the purpose, for example, of rotating a tooth, among other purposes. Accordingly, the bracket widths corresponding to the mesio-distal dimension of the upper or lower teeth would appear wider or narrower within the minimal operative width, respectively. The occluso-gingival vertical heights of the brackets maintain even. In general, and in some embodiments, the front view of a bracket width reflects the width of a tooth.

The orthodontic straight wire mechanics demand that the archwire, when engaged in the archwire slot of a bracket, does not require additional bending at certain stage during, along and thereafter treatment. Thus, built-in angulations of the brackets are deemed necessary to comply with the variations in the in-and-out offset differences in the occlusal view of the dentition, in the highest contour points of the labial or buccal teeth, and in the occluso-gingival curvatures of the teeth profile relative to the related bone ridge, so called first (in and out), second (tip or tilt), and third order (torque) variations, respectively. Accordingly, the archwire slots in the current orthodontic devise are constructed to adopt these variations so as to engage a plain curved archwire at an early stage of the dental arch leveling. The bracket base with its body housing the archwire slot is built with a design of the torque-in-base by a one-piece mental injection mold (MIM). In some embodiments, the device can be formed by other materials and/or through alternative mold process, for example, by a one-piece ceramic-injection mold (CIM).

In some embodiments, the self-ligating bracket also includes a hook. The hook can be built and added to the brackets in the distal tie wing of the gingival extension of the bracket to assist in the engagement of the power chain, coil spring or other structure(s) of the dental corrective devise. The hook may be provided as a gingival hook or a canine hook. As a gingival hook, and in one embodiment, the hook is straight in the premolar brackets. In other embodiments, the self-ligating bracket comprises a canine hook that has the configuration of an inverted L configuration with a bend toward mesial side of the tie wing of the bracket.

Numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of structure and function. While the invention has been disclosed in several forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts, can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the following claims. Therefore, other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.