An orthodontic bracket comprising: a bracket body with a lingual surface opposite a top surface, the bracket body including a recess on the top surface and an archwire slot ; a ligating member with a bottom surface proximate the top surface, the bottom surface including a projection extending substantially perpendicularly from the bottom surface into the recess, the ligating member movably connected to the bracket body for retaining an orthodontic wire in the archwire slot when the ligating member is moved in a direction of travel from an open position to a closed position; and a discrete free-floating spring positioned in the recess such that a force is required to move the ligating member from the open position to the closed position, wherein the discrete free-floating spring is annular, discoidal, oval, helical, round or curved in shape, wherein the recess further comprises a relief portion between the discrete free-floating spring and the bracket body on an occlusal-gingival axis and the discrete free-floating spring is compressed along a mesial-distal axis by the projection when the ligating member is moved from the open position to the closed position, wherein as the discrete free-floating spring is compressed, the spring expands along the occlusal-gingival axis into the relief portion such that the relief portion receives at least a portion of the discrete free-floating spring , wherein the occlusal-gingival axis is substantially parallel to the direction of travel; and wherein the recess includes a spring portion defined by a first edge and a guide portion defined by a second edge and the relief portion is defined by at least a third edge that is elliptically shaped and overlaps the spring portion with a major axis parallel to the direction of travel of the projection from the open position to the closed position. a bracket body with a lingual surface opposite a top surface, the bracket body including a recess on the top surface and an archwire slot ; a ligating member with a bottom surface proximate the top surface, the bottom surface including a projection extending substantially perpendicularly from the bottom surface into the recess, the ligating member movably connected to the bracket body for retaining an orthodontic wire in the archwire slot when the ligating member is moved in a direction of travel from an open position to a closed position; and a discrete free-floating spring positioned in the recess such that a force is required to move the ligating member from the open position to the closed position, wherein the discrete free-floating spring is annular, discoidal, oval, helical, round or curved in shape, wherein the recess further comprises a relief portion between the discrete free-floating spring and the bracket body on an occlusal-gingival axis and the discrete free-floating spring is compressed along a mesial-distal axis by the projection when the ligating member is moved from the open position to the closed position, wherein as the discrete free-floating spring is compressed, the spring expands along the occlusal-gingival axis into the relief portion such that the relief portion receives at least a portion of the discrete free-floating spring , wherein the occlusal-gingival axis is substantially parallel to the direction of travel; and wherein the recess includes a spring portion defined by a first edge and a guide portion defined by a second edge and the relief portion is defined by at least a third edge that is elliptically shaped and overlaps the spring portion with a major axis parallel to the direction of travel of the projection from the open position to the closed position. <EOS>