Low profile self-ligating bracket assembly and method of use
First Claim
1. A removable device for ligating an archwire on an orthodontic bracket, comprising:
- a clip having a generally U-shaped configuration and having a first arm and a second arm;
a cross-bar connecting the arms and a central spine extending from the cross-bar to a cap; and
an aperture positioned in the cap to facilitate opening and closing the clip into engagement with the orthodontic bracket to retain an archwire in an archslot.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A self-ligating orthodontic bracket assembly with selectively removable self-ligation features is configured to provide a low profile to minimize labial-lingual prominence. A clip is configured to snap into the base of the bracket and close over the archwire slot to retain the archwire in the slot. The clip is easily moved to an open position when the archwire is changed out during routine treatment. The clip includes spaced apart arms that, along with the bracket tie-wings, straddle the most outwardly prominent site on the crown of the tooth thereby minimizing labial-lingual profile. The self-ligation capability is achieved without any increase in occlusal-gingival height or measial-distal width of the orthodontic bracket.
108 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A removable device for ligating an archwire on an orthodontic bracket, comprising:
-
a clip having a generally U-shaped configuration and having a first arm and a second arm;
a cross-bar connecting the arms and a central spine extending from the cross-bar to a cap; and
an aperture positioned in the cap to facilitate opening and closing the clip into engagement with the orthodontic bracket to retain an archwire in an archslot. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. An orthodontic bracket assembly, comprising:
-
an orthodontic bracket having at least two tie-wings and an archslot in the at least two tie-wings for receiving an archwire;
a clip for mounting onto the orthodontic bracket, the clip having a first arm and a second arm;
the orthodontic bracket having a mesial transport way and a distal transport way for slidably receiving the first arm and the second arm; and
the first arm and the second arm each having paws for lockingly engaging the mesial transport way and the distal transport way. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A low-profile orthodontic bracket assembly, comprising:
-
an orthodontic bracket having a mesial pair of tie-wings and a distal pair of tie-wings;
the orthodontic bracket having a mesial transport way and a distal transport way;
a clip for removably mounting onto the orthodontic bracket, the clip having a first arm and a second arm for slidably engaging the mesial transport way and the distal transport way respectively;
the clip further having a cap for engaging an archwire slot in the orthodontic bracket to retain an archwire in the slot;
the first arm and the second arm being spaced apart a predetermined distance and attached to a crossbar riser so that the arms straddle the most outwardly prominent site on a tooth when the clip is mounted on the bracket thereby providing a low-profile orthodontic bracket assembly. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
-
-
21. A method of retaining an archwire in an archwire slot in an orthodontic bracket, comprising:
-
providing an orthodontic bracket having a mesial pair of tie-wings and a distal pair of tie-wings, the bracket further having a mesial transport way and a distal transport way;
providing a clip having a first arm, a second arm, and a crossbar riser connecting the first arm and the second arm to a spine, and a cap extending from the spine;
mounting the clip onto the orthodontic bracket by sliding the first push arm and the second push arm along the mesial transport way and the distal transport way and the distal transport way and simultaneously pushing the cap of the clip over the archwire slot; and
releasably locking the clip onto the orthodontic bracket by engaging paws on the push arms with locking corners on the orthodontic bracket.
-
Specification