Abstract:
The invention relates to a lingual bracket for correcting the position of teeth, comprising a bracket base, which can be secured on the lingual side to a front or canine tooth, and comprising a bracket body, the bracket having a slot, which extends in the mesial-distal direction, delimited on the lingual side as well as on the gingival and occlusal sides, and which is intended for accommodating an archwire. In order to develop the bracket in such a way that an archwire can be easily inserted into the slot, by which even relatively small directional forces may be reproducibly exerted on the tooth and the risk of root resorption can be kept low, the slot is delimited on the gingival side by the bracket base and on the occlusal and lingual sides by the bracket body. Furthermore, a bracket system comprising a front or canine tooth bracket of this type and comprising a side tooth bracket is provided.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of international application number PCT/EP2005/001713 filed on Feb. 18, 2005.  
         [0002]     The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in international application number PCT/EP2005/001713 of Feb. 18, 2005 and German application number 10 2004 009 916.2 of Feb. 20, 2004, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The invention relates to a lingual bracket for correcting the position of teeth, comprising a bracket base, which can be secured on the lingual side to a front or canine tooth, and comprising a bracket body, which protrudes from the bracket base, the bracket having a slot, which extends in the mesial-distal direction, is delimited on the lingual side as well as on the gingival and occlusal sides, and which is intended for accommodating an archwire.  
         [0004]     In order to correct positions of misaligned teeth in orthodontic treatment, it is known to secure brackets to the teeth, the brackets being connected to one another by an elastic archwire placed in the respective slot in the brackets. The archwire can be used to exert directional forces on the teeth, so that the position of the tooth changes. In this way, forces of angulation, rotation and torsion are exerted on the teeth to correct the misalignment. A laterally inclined position of the teeth can be corrected by means of forces of angulation, forces of rotation have the effect of turning the tooth about its longitudinal axis and forces of torsion pivot the tooth transversely in relation to the row of teeth, that is to say about an axis which extends transversely in relation to the longitudinal axis of the tooth and approximately parallel to the row of teeth.  
         [0005]     The brackets may be secured on the labial or lingual side, that is to say toward the lips or toward the mouth cavity. Securement on the lingual side has the advantage that the brackets and the archwire cannot be seen behind the teeth. For adult patients in particular, this is very important. However, exact positioning of the brackets on the lingual side is much more difficult for the orthodontist than positioning of the brackets on the labial side. It has therefore been proposed in EP 1 234 549 A1 to align the slot obliquely in relation to the occlusal plane, so that the archwire can be inserted into the slot from the occlusal side without the aid of a mirror. The occlusal plane is understood here as meaning the horizontal plane between the teeth of the upper jaw and the teeth of the lower jaw. In the case of the bracket for the front and canine teeth that is known from EP 1 234 549 A1, it is necessary to fix the archwire in the obliquely aligned slot, by covering the slot from the occlusal side by means of a closure spring to transfer forces from the archwire to the bracket. If forces of torsion are to be transferred from the archwire to the tooth, a torque directed about the longitudinal axis of the wire is exerted on the brackets, and opposite closing forces have to be exerted by the closure spring ill order to hold the archwire reliably in the slot. As a result, the reproducible exertion of forces of torsion on the tooth is made more difficult, since in many cases the closing forces of the closure spring are not constant over time.  
         [0006]     A further bracket which can be secured on the labial side of a tooth is known from EP 1 080 697 A1. The bracket has a bracket base, which can be secured to the tooth, and an elongated bracket body, which protrudes from the bracket base in the lingual direction and in which a slot for accommodating the archwire is formed. Turning away from the customary “mushroom shape”, the archwire is to have the form of a simple arch, without great curvatures. The bracket body therefore reaches relatively deep into the mouth cavity, and relatively great torques are exerted on the tooth via the bracket body by the archwire inserted into the slot. However, the exertion of relatively great torques can lead to root resorption. Furthermore, the considerable lever action of the bracket body has the effect that the reproducible exertion of in particular relatively small directional forces is made more difficult, and the great extent to which the bracket projects is extremely unpleasant for the patient.  
         [0007]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a lingual bracket of the type mentioned at the beginning in the case of which the archwire can be easily inserted into the slot, by which even relatively small directional forces may be reproducibly exerted on the tooth and the risk of root resorption can be kept low, accompanied at the same time by a high level of comfort for the patient.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     This object is achieved according to the invention in the case of a lingual bracket of the generic type by the slot being delimited on the gingival side by the bracket base and on the occlusal and lingual sides by the bracket body.  
         [0009]     The insertion of the archwire into the slot of the bracket according to the invention can be directly observed by the orthodontist, without having to use a mirror. This is so because, for insertion, the archwire can firstly be positioned from the occlusal side to the height of an opening of the slot and the archwire can subsequently be displaced in the horizontal direction, i.e. parallel to the occlusal plane, in the direction of the mouth cavity until it lies against a slot base. The archwire is then enclosed by the bracket not only in the occlusal and gingival directions but also in the lingual direction. The delimitation of the slot in the occlusal and lingual directions takes place by the bracket body, and the delimitation in the gingival direction takes place by the bracket base. The archwire, inserted into the slot, consequently lies directly against the bracket base and is therefore only a small distance away from the tooth. This makes a more controlled and more reproducible transfer even of small directional forces possible from the archwire via the bracket to the tooth. In particular, forces of torsion and angulation can easily be reproducibly exerted, and the risk of root resorption is very low.  
         [0010]     The slot is covered, inter alia, on the lingual side. This also has the advantage that the patient&#39;s tongue is irritated far less by the bracket than in the case of an opening of the slot on the lingual side.  
         [0011]     The slot comprises a slot base and two slot walls which protrude from the latter and delimit a slot opening between them at a distance from the slot base. It is of advantage if the slot walls are aligned horizontally when the bracket is in its position of use. This makes a cross-sectionally rectangular configuration of the slot possible, the slot walls being aligned parallel to the occlusal plane. It has been found that particularly easy control, in particular of the forces of torsion and angulation, is made possible as a result.  
         [0012]     The bracket body preferably has a web which protrudes from the bracket base in the occlusal direction and carries at its free end a wing pointing in the labial direction, the web and the wing delimiting the slot on the lingual and occlusal sides, respectively, and the bracket base delimiting the slot on the gingival side. The slot consequently extends between the bracket base and the wing of the bracket body, the rear side of the bracket base that is turned away from the tooth and the side of the wing that is directed toward the bracket base respectively defining a slot wall, and the slot base being formed by the web.  
         [0013]     In the case of an advantageous embodiment of the bracket according to the invention, the slot opening is adjoined, away from the slot base, by an insertion portion, which is delimited on the one hand by the bracket base and on the other hand by the bracket body. This makes the insertion of the archwire even easier. The insertion portion allows the archwire to be positioned from the occlusal side to the height of the slot opening, and the archwire can subsequently be inserted into the slot in a horizontal direction. The insertion portion is delimited in the gingival direction by the bracket base and in the occlusal direction by a region of the bracket body adjoining the slot.  
         [0014]     The insertion portion is preferably delimited by a front side of the wing directed away from the web and by a rear side of the bracket base.  
         [0015]     The insertion portion preferably widens in the direction away from the slot base. This makes it possible for the archwire to be guided within the insertion portion, which opens into the slot opening.  
         [0016]     It is advantageous if the bracket has a smooth, uninterrupted surface on the lingual side, in particular is convexly or concavely curved on the lingual side, since irritations of the tongue can be kept very low and the patient can become accustomed to the bracket within a short time as a result.  
         [0017]     In the case of an advantageous embodiment of the bracket according to the invention, the bracket body has a small hook on its side away from the slot. Additional bracing elements can be easily secured to the small hook. It is in this case less irritating for the patient if the small hook is integrated in the lingual side of the bracket body. This allows the entire lingual side of the bracket to be given a rounded and smooth configuration that is pleasant for the patient.  
         [0018]     It may be provided, for example, that the bracket body has two wings, which protrude in opposite directions from a web connected to the bracket base. A first, labially aligned wing may delimit the slot in the occlusal direction, and the second, substantially lingually aligned wing may carry at its free end the small hook, which may be of a T-shaped form.  
         [0019]     In the transitional region between the canine tooth and the premolar, the archwire is to be aligned in the direction of the mouth cavity on account of the different size of the two teeth. If these two teeth are close together, there is only very little space available for the archwire. This has the consequence that in many cases a ligature cannot be applied to the archwire in this region at the beginning of orthodontic treatment. This in turn protracts the treatment time. In order to counteract protraction of the treatment in this way, in the case of a particularly preferred embodiment of the bracket according to the invention for canine teeth it is provided that the distal edge of a region of the bracket body delimiting the slot on the occlusal side is inclined in the direction of the mesial edge of the bracket. In the approximal region of the premolar, the region of the bracket body covering the slot on the occlusal side is consequently set back slightly. This makes early ligation of the archwire possible, even when the canine tooth and premolar are close together. The treatment time can be reduced as a result.  
         [0020]     It is of particular advantage if, for adaptation to the shape of the tooth, the bracket base has, for butting against a tooth, abutting surface regions that are anatomically aligned at an angle in relation to one another. This makes it possible for the bracket to be secured very close to the gingiva, and consequently very close to the center of resistance of the tooth. Consequently, increased control can be achieved, in particular of forces of torsion. Furthermore, it has been found that angling the abutting surface regions away is more likely to allow a uniform torque angle to be used for the brackets of the front and canine teeth.  
         [0021]     In the case of a preferred embodiment, a first abutting surface region of the bracket base is inclined at an angle of approximately  100  to about  500  in relation to a second abutting surface region of the bracket base.  
         [0022]     The abutting surface regions are preferably in each case of a planar configuration. Alternatively, it may be provided that at least one abutting surface region is curved, in particular the abutting surface regions may altogether form a convexly curved abutting surface of the bracket base.  
         [0023]     The invention also relates to a bracket system for fixing an archwire on the lingual sides of teeth, at least one side tooth bracket, comprising a bracket base, which can be fixed on the lingual side to a side tooth, and comprising a bracket body, which protrudes from the bracket base, also being used in addition to the lingual brackets for front and canine teeth explained above, the side tooth bracket having a slot, which extends in the mesial-distal direction and is intended for accommodating the archwire, comprising a slot base and two slot walls which protrude from the base and delimit the slot on the gingival side as well as on the labial and lingual sides, and the archwire being insertable into the slot from the occlusal side.  
         [0024]     The placement of the archwire in the side tooth bracket is very easy in the case of such a configuration, since the archwire can be inserted directly into the slot from the occlusal side. While in the case of the bracket for the front and canine teeth explained above, the slot is preferably horizontally aligned in the position of use of the bracket, a bracket with occlusal alignment of the slot is used in the case of the bracket system according to the invention for the side teeth. The combination of horizontal and occlusal alignment of the slots in the case of such a bracket system has the advantage that the position of the archwire in the slots is better defined. The front and canine teeth brackets fix the archwire in the occlusal-gingival direction and the side tooth brackets fix the archwire in the lingual-labial direction. Although a ligature that is known per se, and is therefore not explained in any more detail here, is used in the customary way in the case of the bracket system according to the invention, this substantially serves merely for securing the archwire during the orthodontic treatment, but force can be transferred from the archwire to the brackets substantially without any ligature in between, at least in the region of the front and canine teeth, and the position of the archwire in the slots is very well defined by the alignment of the slots of the front and canine teeth brackets on the one hand and the slots of the side tooth brackets on the other hand, turned by 90° in relation to one another.  
         [0025]     The slot of the side tooth bracket has a slot base and two slot walls protruding from the latter. It is advantageous here if the slot walls are vertically aligned in the position of use of the side tooth bracket. Compared with the slot walls of a preferred embodiment of the brackets for the front and canine teeth, the slot walls of the side tooth bracket are consequently turned by 90°. This has the advantage that the height of the side tooth brackets on the lingual side can be kept very low, since the longer side of the slots extends substantially parallel to the bracket base. The placement of the archwire can be observed well from the occlusal side.  
         [0026]     Round or cross-sectionally square archwires are used for the bracket system according to the invention. Given the same diameter of round wires or the same side length of square wires, such as the same shorter side length of rectangular wires, round and square wires have the advantage that relatively low directional forces are produced, since rectangular wires exert greater forces on account of their greater axial moment of inertia. It has been found that the exertion of rather lower directional forces is of advantage for the success of an orthodontic treatment for correcting the position of misaligned teeth, so that an improved position of the teeth can be achieved within a relatively short treatment time while the inconvenience for the patient is kept as little as possible.  
         [0027]     In the case of bracket systems comprising only horizontally aligned slots, cross-sectionally rectangular archwires are usually used in the course of treatment. These are distinguished by an unsymmetrical exertion of force, i.e. directional forces of differing magnitude are exerted on the tooth by the archwire, depending on the direction in which it is bent. This makes it more difficult for directional forces to be exerted uniformly. By contrast with this, archwires of a square cross-section are preferably used in the case of the bracket system according to the invention. These are distinguished by the fact that they exert directional forces of the same magnitude on the tooth in the case of deflection in the occlusal-gingival direction as in the case of deflection in the labial-lingual direction, i.e. the exertion of force takes place in a symmetrical way in the case of square archwires when deflection or bending occurs. The uniform exertion of directional forces is facilitated as a result.  
         [0028]     In order to simplify the insertion of the archwire into the side tooth bracket, it is advantageous if the slot opening of the side tooth bracket is adjoined, away from the slot base, by an insertion portion, which preferably widens in the occlusal direction. The insertion portion forms an adjusting aid for the insertion of the archwire into the slot.  
         [0029]     In order to keep irritation of the tongue particularly low, it is advantageous if the side tooth bracket has a smooth surface on the lingual side.  
         [0030]     In the case of a particularly preferred embodiment of the bracket system according to the invention, the side tooth bracket comprises a through-bore extending in the mesial-distal direction. This allows the control of rotation and the control of angulation in the side tooth region to be improved. 
     
    
       [0031]     The following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention serves for a more detailed explanation in conjunction with the drawings.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEW OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic side view of a bracket according to the invention, which is secured to a front tooth of the upper jaw;  
         [0033]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of the bracket from  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0034]      FIG. 3  shows a view of the bracket in the direction of the arrow A from  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0035]      FIG. 4  shows a sectional view along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  shows a view corresponding to  FIG. 3  of a bracket according to the invention for a canine tooth;  
         [0037]      FIG. 6  shows a schematic side view of a side tooth bracket according to the invention, which is secured to a side tooth of the upper jaw;  
         [0038]      FIG. 7  shows a side view of the side tooth bracket from  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0039]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective representation of the side tooth bracket from  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0040]      FIG. 9  shows a sectional view along the line  9 - 9  from  FIG. 7 ; and  
         [0041]      FIG. 10  shows a schematic representation of a bracket system according to the invention for all the teeth of the upper jaw and lower jaw. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0042]     FIGS.  1  to  4  illustrate a bracket  10  according to the invention, which can be secured on the lingual side  12  of an upper jaw front tooth  13  by means of an adhesive  14 . As revealed particularly clearly by  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the bracket  10  comprises a bracket base  16 , which can be secured on the lingual side  12  and has a first abutting surface region  17  and a second abutting surface region  18 , which are in each case of a planar configuration and are aligned at an angle a of approximately 30° in relation to one another. On the side away from the abutting surface region  17 , the bracket base  16  is adjoined by a bracket body  21 , which is of a substantially T-shaped configuration and has a web  22 , which protrudes from the bracket base  16  on the occlusal side and the free end region of which is adjoined by a first wing  23 , directed toward the second abutting surface region  18 , and a second wing  24 , directed away from said region. The second wing  24  carries at its free end a small T-shaped hook  25 . The web  22  and the first wing  23  form a delimitation  27 , which delimits a slot  29  in the lingual direction and in the occlusal direction. In the gingival direction, the slot  29  is delimited by the bracket base  16 . The slot  29  extends from the mesial edge  31  to the distal edge  32  of the bracket  10  and serves for accommodating an archwire  34 , with the aid of which directional forces can be exerted on the tooth  13  to correct a misaligned tooth.  
         [0043]     The slot  29  has a slot base  36 , which in the position of use of the bracket  10 , as represented in  FIG. 1 , extends in the mesial-distal direction and is vertically aligned, from which there protrude two slot walls  37  and  38 , which delimit between them at a distance from the slot base  36  a slot opening  40  and, in the position of use of the bracket  10 , are aligned substantially horizontally, i.e. parallel to the occlusal plane. Away from the slot base  36 , the slot opening  40  is adjoined by an insertion portion  42 , which is delimited on the one hand by the rear side  43  of the bracket base  16 , facing away from the second abutting surface is, and on the other hand by the front side  44  of the first wing  23 , directed toward said surface, and widens in a V-shaped manner in the direction away from the slot base  36 .  
         [0044]     As  FIG. 1  reveals particularly clearly, the archwire  34  can be inserted into the insertion portion  42  on the lingual side  12  of the tooth  13 , at first from the occlusal side in the direction of the arrow  46  to the height of the slot opening  40 , and subsequently it can be inserted in a horizontal direction, i.e. in the direction of the arrow  47 , into the slot  29  until it butts against the slot base  36 , in the position of use of the bracket  10  represented in  FIG. 1 . In this position, the archwire  34  is delimited by the bracket body  21  in the lingual direction and in the occlusal direction. The occlusal delimitation is achieved by means of the first wing  23  and the lingual delimitation is achieved by means of the web  22 . In the gingival direction, the slot  40  is delimited by the bracket base  16 . This not only makes possible particularly easy insertion of the archwire  34  into the slot  29  on the lingual side  12  of the tooth  13 , but also has the effect of improving the control of forces of torsion and angulation exerted by the archwire  34  on the bracket  10  as a result of the slot  29  being enclosed in the gingival, lingual and occlusal directions.  
         [0045]     The angled configuration of the two abutting surface regions  17  and  18  of the bracket base  16  makes it possible for the bracket  10  to be secured close to the gingiva  49 , and consequently very close to the center of resistance of the tooth  1 . 3 . Furthermore, the angular configuration of the abutting surface regions  17 ,  18  allows the thickness of the adhesive layer to be minimized.  
         [0046]     The lingual side of the bracket  10 , i.e. the rear side  51  of the bracket body  21  away from the bracket base  16 , is of a level, convexly curved and smooth configuration, so that the tongue is hindered only slightly. Hindrance of the tongue by the small hook  25  can also be kept low, since it smoothly adjoins the rear side  5   1 .  
         [0047]      FIG. 5  schematically illustrates a bracket  55  according to the invention for a canine tooth. This differs from the bracket  10  described above with reference to FIGS.  1  to  4  only in that the distal edge  56  of the first wing  23  of the delimitation  27 , extending from the slot base  36 , is inclined in the direction of the mesial edge  3   1  of the bracket  5   5 ; apart from the angulation, the bracket  55  is otherwise configured in a manner virtually identical to that of the bracket  10 ; therefore, the same reference numerals as in FIGS.  1  to  4  are used in  FIG. 5  for identical parts of the bracket  55 . In this respect, to avoid repetition, reference is made to the statements made above.  
         [0048]     The oblique alignment of the distal edge  56  of the delimitation  27  of the bracket  55  intended for securing to a canine tooth has the advantage that, even in the region between the canine tooth and the premolar directly adjacent to it, the archwire  34  can already be inserted into the slot  29  at an early time in orthodontic treatment, even if the canine tooth and the premolar are close together.  
         [0049]     FIGS.  6  to  9  illustrate a bracket  60  according to the invention which can be secured on the lingual side  62  of an upper jaw side tooth  63 . The side tooth bracket  60  has a bracket base  66 , comprising an abutting surface  67  concavely curved in the mesial-distal direction. On the side away from the abutting surface  67 , the bracket base  66  is adjoined by a bracket body  71 , which is of a substantially T-shaped configuration and has a web  72 , which protrudes from the bracket body  71  on the lingual side, as well as a first wing  73  and a second wing  74 . The side tooth bracket  60  is illustrated in  FIG. 6  in its position of use. In this position, the two wings  73  and  34  are aligned substantially vertically. The second wing  74  carries at its free end a small T-shaped hook  75 , with the aid of which additional bracing means can be fixed to the side tooth bracket  60 .  
         [0050]     From the mesial edge  77  to the distal edge  78  of the side tooth bracket  60  there extends a cross-sectionally rectangular slot  79 , which, in the position of use of the side tooth bracket  60 , is directly accessible from the occlusal side, i.e. in the direction of the arrow  81  represented in  FIG. 6 , while it is delimited in the gingival direction by the web  72  and in the lingual direction by the first wing  73  of the bracket body  71 . The web  72  and the first wing  73  consequently form a delimitation  83  of the slot  79  on the gingival and lingual sides. In the labial direction, the slot  79  is delimited by the bracket base  66 .  
         [0051]     The slot  79  comprises a slot base  86 , which is horizontally aligned in the position of use of the side tooth bracket  60 , and two slot walls  87 ,  88 , which protrude from said base, in the position of use of the side tooth bracket  60  extend in the mesial-distal direction, are vertically aligned and are joined, away from the slot base  86 , by an insertion portion  92 , which extends in a V-shaped manner in the occlusal direction.  
         [0052]     In the transitional region between the first wing  73  and the second wing  74 , a through-bore  94  extending from the mesial edge  77  to the distal edge  78  is formed in the bracket body  71 , allowing additional anchoring means to be secured to the side tooth bracket  60 , in particular for better rotation control.  
         [0053]     The use of side tooth bracket  60  in combination with front tooth and canine tooth brackets  10  and  55  has the advantage that treatment can be carried out with a square archwire cross-section and only a few differently formed brackets have to be used for correcting the position of misaligned teeth. For instance, it may be provided that a bracket system according to the invention for fixing archwires on all the teeth of the upper jaw and lower jaw in this example comprises only seven different brackets, buccal tubes  104 ,  105  additionally being used for securing the archwires to the rear buccal teeth. A bracket system of this type is schematically represented in  FIG. 10  and provided overall with the reference numeral  100 . Using this system, an upper jaw archwire  101  can be secured to the teeth of the upper jaw and a lower jaw archwire  102  can be secured to the teeth of the lower jaw, in each case on the lingual side. The two archwires  101  and  102  extend parallel to the occlusal plane  103 . For securing the archwires  101  and  102  to the upper jaw front teeth OK 1  and OK 2 , the brackets  10  explained above are used. Securing the upper jaw archwire  101  to the canine teeth OK 3  takes place by means of the bracket  55 , and securing the upperjaw archwire  103  to the side teeth OK 4 , OK 5  and OK 6  takes place by means of the side tooth brackets  60  described above. The upper jaw archwire  101  is secured to the upperjaw side teeth OK 7  by means of a buccal tube  104 , which is known per se and is therefore only schematically represented in the drawing.  
         [0054]     The brackets  10  are used for securing the lower jaw archwire  102  for the front teeth UK 1  and UK 2  and for the lower jaw canine teeth UK 3 , and the securing of the lower jaw archwire  102  to the lower jaw side teeth UK 4  to UK 6  takes place by means of side tooth brackets  60 . Buccal tubes  105 , which are known per se to the person skilled in the art and are therefore not explained in any more detail here, are used for securing to the rear lower jaw side teeth UK 7 . The entire bracket system  100  in this example comprises only seven brackets formed differently in their torque and angulation angles. The brackets  10  for the right and left upper jaw front teeth OK 1  and OK 2  are of an identical configuration in this example, with a torque angle of  550  and an angulation angle of 0°; the side tooth brackets  60  for the right and left upper jaw teeth OK 4  to OK 6  have in each case a torque angle of 17° and an angulation angle of 0°. For the right and left upperjaw teeth OK 3 , canine teeth brackets  55  are used, these being mirror-symmetrical on account of the oblique configuration of the distal edge  56 , but otherwise identically formed, with a torque angle of 55° and with an angulation angle of 12°. For the lower jaw teeth, the brackets  10  of the left front teeth UK 1  to UK 3  are of a configuration mirror-symmetrical to the brackets  10  of the right front teeth UK 1  to UK 3 , differing only in their mirror-symmetrical alignment obliquely to the vertical, All the brackets  10  of the right and left lower jaw teeth UK 1  to UK 3  have in this example a torque angle of 40° and an angulation angle of 5°. The side tooth brackets  60  for the lower jaw side teeth UK 4  to UK 6  are identically configured, the torque angle and the angulation angle being 0°. Consequently, in the case of the bracket system  100  represented in  FIG. 10 , altogether only seven different brackets are used, with only three different torque angles for the upper jaw and only two different torque values for the lower jaw. Only the values of 0°, 5° and 12° are used for the angulation angle. It goes without saying that other torque and angulation angles can be used if required. An archwire  101 ,  102  can easily be inserted in all the brackets. The slots for the brackets of the front and canine teeth are horizontally aligned in the position of use, while the slots of the side tooth brackets are vertically aligned in the position of use, and force transfer from the archwires  101 ,  102  to the front and canine teeth is improved on account of the occlusal, gingival and lingual delimitation of the slots for the front and canine teeth.