Patent ID: 9004916
Filing Date: 2015-04-14
Classification: A61C

Abstract:
1. An orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire with a tooth comprising: a bracket body adapted to be secured to the tooth and including an archwire slot having a base surface and a pair of opposed side walls extending from the base surface adapted to receive the archwire therein, and a slide member slidable between an open position and a closed position, being coupled to the bracket body in the closed position to retain the archwire in the archwire slot, and including a side with archwire control structure including first and second projecting portions spaced apart in a mesial-distal direction and a recessed area between the first and second projecting portions, the recessed area extending outside of the archwire slot and the projecting portions extending toward the archwire slot, wherein, when the slide member is in the closed position, the first and second projecting portions are spaced apart and overlie the archwire slot wherein the first and second projecting portions are adapted to contact the archwire so as to provide consistent points of contact between the archwire and the slide member to thereby produce a substantially consistent moment arm between the archwire and the bracket during orthodontic treatment, and wherein the first and second projecting portions have an asymmetric configuration relative to a longitudinal axis of the slide member so as to be unequally spaced relative to the mesial-distal dimension of the archwire slot and the first projecting portion has a width that is different than a width of the second projecting portion.