Joyce Chi Ying Ho, 484642 Royce Rd, Irvine, CA 92612

7686613, Mar 30, 2010

Jul 10, 2007

11/775253

Jirina V. Pospisil - Hacienda Heights CA, US
Glenys A. Thorstenson - Azusa CA, US
Joyce C. Ho - Temple City CA, US
Joan V. Brennan - Sierra Madre CA, US

3M Innovative Properties Company - St. Paul MN

A61C 3/00

433 11

A ceramic orthodontic bracket has a centrally located clip for retaining an archwire in an archwire slot. The body of the bracket includes a mesial section, a distal section, and a bridge section, wherein the bridge section extends through, and retains, the clip. The bridge section also includes a recess adjacent to the bridge section that facilitates debonding of the bracket from a patient' s tooth. Preferably there are gaps on one or both sides of the clip to allow space for debonding of the bracket by applying a mesial-distal compressive force on the bracket and fracturing the bracket along the recess. This configuration allows the overall mesial-distal width of the bracket to be reduced, thereby facilitating the bonding of brackets to narrow and/or maloccluded teeth. Another embodiment includes a stop member that is connected to the base of the bracket and retains the clip on the bridge section.

2006014, Jul 6, 2006

Dec 23, 2005

11/317346

Jirina Pospisil - Hacienda Heights CA, US
Hoang Nguyen - Garden Grove CA, US
Joyce Ho - Temple City CA, US

A61C 3/00

433011000

An orthodontic appliance includes a latch that comprises at least one clip with a region for receiving an archwire. The clip also includes a recess for receiving a post of the appliance and for coupling the clip to remaining components of the appliance. The clip includes at least one protrusion that extends between the post-receiving recess and the archwire-receiving region, and the protrusion serves to retain the clip in place on the post.