Orthodontic appliance with contoured retaining guide

An orthodontic appliance comprising:

• a base;
• a body extending outwardly from the base, the body having an occlusal side, a labial side and a gingival side;
• an elongated archwire passageway for receiving an archwire;
• and
• a guide extending away from the body and being connected to one of the occlusal side and the gingival side of the body, the guide having an outer edge section remote from the body, wherein the guide extends in a mesial-distal direction a certain distance, and wherein the certain distance increases in size as the outer edge section is approached.

An orthodontic appliance comprising:

• a base;
• a body extending outwardly from the base, the body having an occlusal side, a labial side and a gingival side;
• an elongated archwire passageway for receiving an archwire;
• and
• a guide extending away from the body for retaining a wire segment or other item in place, the guide being connected to a certain one of the occlusal side and the gingival side of the body and having an outer edge section remote from such certain side, and wherein the outer edge when viewed in a lingual direction extends along a path that does not exceed an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the certain side.

An orthodontic appliance comprising:

• a base;
• a body extending outwardly from the base, the body having an occlusal side, a labial side and a gingival side;
• an elongated archwire passageway for receiving an archwire;
• and
• a retaining guide extending outwardly from the body and connected to one of the occlusal side and the gingival side of the body, wherein the guide has an overall generally triangular configuration when viewed in a direction toward the body along a generally occlusal-gingival reference axis.