Patent ID: 8827698

Claim:
A self-ligating orthodontic appliance comprising: a base having an outer surface for attachment to a tooth and an inner surface; a body extending outwardly from the inner surface, the body including a pair of side walls and a bottom wall extending between the side walls in a direction generally perpendicular thereto, wherein the side walls and the bottom wall define an archwire slot extending in a generally mesial-distal direction; a cavity extending into the body; and at least one resilient clip adjacent the body for releasably retaining an archwire in the archwire slot, the clip comprising a fixed portion rigidly coupled to the body; and a free portion extending outwardly from the fixed portion along a path parallel to the bottom wall, wherein the pair of side walls defines a pair of reference planes and the fixed and free portions join each other in a location between the reference planes, wherein at least the fixed portion of the clip is received in the cavity, the cavity having a shape that is complemental to at least a portion of the shape of the clip.