Patent ID: 8246349

Claim:
An orthodontic bracket comprising: a body having a mesiodistal slot for receiving an archwire, a base, appendixes, a first tie wing, a second tie wing, a third tie wing and a fourth tie wing, said first tie wing, said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie wing being mainly developed along an occlusal-gingival direction, each of said first tie wing, said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie comprising a planar surface, said planar surface of said first tie wing being coplanar with said planar surface of said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie wing, one of said appendixes extending from said planar surface of said first tie wing, another one of said appendixes extending from said planar surface of said second tie wing, said first tie wing and said second tie wing being on one side of said slot, said third tie wing and said fourth tie being on another side of said mesiodistal slot, said first tie wing, said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie wing partially emerging over a labial side of said body, wherein said first tie wing, said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie wing protrude externally from the body and towards the base, said first tie wing and said second tie wing comprising a curved surface having a concavity facing in a direction of the base, said first tie wing, said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie wing defining a support means for said element to prevent the archwire from coming out of the slot; an element, comprising a planar element portion, an elastic arm portion and concave surfaces on sides of said arm, said concave surfaces defining slots, said concave surfaces engaging said appendixes with said element in an open state, wherein said appendixes are placed on or in said slots with said element in the open state, said elastic arm portion moving along a curved path corresponding to the profile of a lower side of said tie wings while the planar element portion of said element slides along said planar surface of one or more of said first tie wing, said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie wing above the labial side of the body, each of said first tie wing, said second tie wing, said third tie wing and said fourth tie wing comprising a rectilinear groove in which two sides of said element slide, one side of said element extending through at least a portion of said rectilinear groove of said first tie wing and at least a portion of said rectilinear groove of said third tie wing with said element in said closed position, another side of said element extending through at least a portion of said rectilinear groove of said second tie wing and at least a portion of said rectilinear groove of said fourth tie wing with said element in said closed position.