The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 30, 2010
Filed:
Jul. 10, 2007
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);
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 (US);
Abstract
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.