Patent ID: 9241775
Filing Date: 2016-01-26
CPC Classification: A61C

Claim Text:
1. An orthodontic self-ligating bracket comprising: a body having a base configured for attaching to a tooth, said body having a gingival side and a non-gingival side, wherein said bracket is configured to be attached to a tooth with said gingival side nearer a gumline than said non-gingival side; rigid right and left self-ligating wire guide channels formed in said body and spaced closer to one of said gingival side and said non-gingival side than to said other of said gingival side and said non-gingival side, wherein said rigid right and left self-ligating wire guide channels are each sized and shaped to retain a wire therewithin; a slot formed in said body between said rigid right and left self-ligating wire guide channels, wherein said slot is wide enough such that a wire can enter said slot in a direction parallel to the tooth axis and can bend and enter one of said rigid right and left self-ligating wire guide channels; wherein each of said rigid right and left self-ligating wire guide channels has a wire insertion direction into a respective wire entry pathway, said wire insertion direction being parallel to said base; wherein said wire entry pathway of each of said rigid right and left self-ligating wire guide channels is at least partly bounded by respective right and left wing portions, each of said wing portions forming a boundary on three sides of said respective rigid self-ligating wire guide channel; an interference element in said slot, said interference element forming a boundary of a side of said rigid right self-ligating wire guide channel in said direction, said boundary formed by said interference element not substantially overlapping said boundary formed by said right wing portion, wherein said boundary formed by said interference element interferes with removal of the wire from said rigid right self-ligating wire guide channel; wherein said bracket is configured to provide ligation by engagement of the wire with said rigid right self-ligating wire guide channel, a side of said interference element, and said left wing portion; and a non-self-ligating wire guide channel configured for retaining therein a wire having a rectangular cross section, said non-self-ligating wire guide channel being disposed closer to said other of said gingival side and said non-gingival side than said rigid right and left self-ligating wire guide; wherein said rigid right self-ligating wire guide channel has at least one distortion in said wire entry pathway, said at least one distortion including at least one of a protrusion and a recess configured to retain a wire in said rigid right self-ligating wire guide channel.