Patent ID: 9597166
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: A61C

Claim:
1. An orthodontic bracket comprising: a body having an archwire slot to accommodate an archwire between two opposing tie wings, said archwire slot having at least one of a convex sidewall and a floor portion adapted to reduce archwire bracket frictional engagement, and an auxiliary slot extending in a gingival/occlusal direction under said floor portion, said auxiliary slot configured to receive one of a steel ligature or an auxiliary shaft, said auxiliary slot being open at either end thereof, and having complementary flat outer sidewalls and a surface including two or more characters selected from the group consisting of letters and numbers that are spaced apart from each other, said two or more characters being projected from said surface and having spaces between said two or more characters being recessed, said body made solely of a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, and ceramic, wherein said two or more characters convey to a user of said bracket information selected from the group consisting of: model number, manufacturer, date of manufacture, lot number, distributor, placement data, and bracket data.