Patent ID: 8070486

Claim:
A method for indirectly positioning and bonding an orthodontic appliance on a maloccluded tooth, the method comprising the steps of: forming a physical model corresponding to teeth of a patient, the model having a plurality of model teeth with each tooth having a facial surface, and each maloccluded model tooth embodying at least one protuberance that is a unitary part of the facial surface and at least two non-parallel cooperating ridges that are unitary parts of the facial surface; obtaining at least one orthodontic appliance and applying adhesive to a base of the at least one orthodontic appliance; positioning an orthodontic appliance over the at least one protuberance and adjacent to the at least two ridges of a maloccluded model tooth; using the at least two ridges to guide the placement of the orthodontic appliance on the facial surface of a maloccluded model tooth; releasably mounting the at least one orthodontic appliance to the physical model on top of the at least one protuberance and in contact with walls of the at least two cooperating ridges; applying an adhesive to the base of an orthodontic appliance, wherein the adhesive is at least as thick as the height of the at least one protuberance and at least at the position of the at least one protuberance on the facial surface; forming an adhesive layer on the base of the at least one orthodontic appliance by allowing the adhesive to spread and shape between the at least one tooth of the model and the base; curing the adhesive layer; forming a transfer tray over the at least one tooth and the at least one orthodontic appliance; removing the transfer tray and the at least one orthodontic appliance from the model; and transferring and bonding the at least one orthodontic appliance to the maloccluded teeth of the patient.