Archwire hooks, stops, and methods of using same

An orthodontic appliance for attachment to an archwire having a rectangular cross section with a height dimension that is less than a width dimension, the orthodontic appliance comprising:

• a body including a base portion from which a pair of jaws extend, each jaw including an opposing surface that defines a slot for receiving the archwire,
• wherein the pair of opposing surfaces are configured to contact the archwire at three locations consisting of two edges at ends of one side of the archwire and a side opposite the one side.

A method of installing an orthodontic appliance on an archwire having a rectangular cross section with a height dimension that is less than a width dimension, the archwire being securable to one or more orthodontic brackets affixed to a patient's teeth, the method comprising:

• inserting a body onto the archwire, the body including a base portion from which a pair of jaws extend, the jaws including opposing surfaces that define a slot, wherein inserting includes moving the body so that the archwire enters the slot with the height dimension of the archwire perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body;
• and
• rotating the body about the archwire while the archwire is in the slot until the height dimension of the archwire is parallel with the longitudinal axis.