Patent ID: 8337198

Claim:
An orthodontic appliance, comprising: a support assembly, comprising: a tooth engaging portion adapted to be bonded to a surface of a tooth; a support portion extending from the tooth engaging portion; and a first coupling portion on the support portion; a corrective assembly adapted to direct corrective forces to at least the tooth to which the tooth engaging portion is bonded, the corrective assembly comprising: a wire engaging portion adapted to receive an archwire; a base portion extending from the wire engaging portion; and a second coupling portion on the base portion and releasably engaged with the first coupling portion, wherein, when the first and second coupling portions are operatively engaged with each other, the first and second coupling portions are adapted to disengage, without destruction of either of the first and second coupling portions, responsive to a force that exceeds a predetermined value and which is less than a force required to debond the support portion from the surface of the tooth; and a tether device that interconnects the corrective assembly with the support assembly, wherein the tether device is adapted to limit relative movement of the corrective assembly with respect to the support assembly when the corrective assembly is disengaged from the support assembly; wherein the tether device includes a hinge mechanism that connects the first and second coupling portions of the corrective and support assemblies.