Miniature self-locking labial bracket

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body having first and second side portions spaced apart to define an archwire slot for receiving an archwire;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• a closure member receivable within the closure slot and slidable across the archwire slot;
• the closure slot including a first slot portion formed in the first side portion of the bracket body and a second slot portion formed in the second side portion of the bracket body on opposite sides of the archwire slot so that the closure member can be slid to a closed position through the first slot portion transversely of the archwire slot with an end portion inserted into the second slot portion to retain the archwire in the archwire slot;
• first locking means for releasably locking the closure member in said closed position in the closure slot;
• and
• second locking means for locking the closure member in an open position in the closure slot to insert or remove the archwire;
• the first slot portion including means defining an internal shoulder oriented normal to the direction of closure of the closure member;
• and
• the closure member including a folded flat spring having a free end biased outward and an intermediate retention ear positioned to engage the internal shoulder to define said second locking means when the closure member is in the open position.

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body having first and second side portions spaced apart to define an archwire slot for receiving an archwire;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• a closure member receivable within the closure slot and slidable across the archwire slot;
• the closure slot including a first slot portion formed in the first side portion of the bracket body and a second slot portion formed in the second side portion of the bracket body on opposite sides of the archwire slot so that the closure member can be slid to a closed position through the first slot portion transversely of the archwire slot with an end portion inserted into the second slot portion to retain the archwire in the archwire slot;
• first locking means for releasably locking the closure member in said closed position in the closure slot;
• and
• second locking means for locking the closure member in an open position in the closure slot to insert or remove the archwire;
• the first slot portion including means defining an internal shoulder oriented normal to the direction of closure of the closure member;
• and
• the closure member including a folded flat spring having a free end biased outward to engage the internal shoulder to define said first locking means when the closure member is in the closed position and an intermediate retention ear positioned to engage the internal shoulder to define said second locking means when the closure member is in the open position.

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body having first and second side portions spaced apart to define an archwire slot for receiving an archwire;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• a closure member receivable within the closure slot and slidable across the archwire slot;
• the closure slot including a first slot portion formed in the first side portion of the bracket body and a second slot portion formed in the second side portion of the bracket body on opposite sides of the archwire slot so that the closure member can be slid to a closed position through the first slot portion transversely of the archwire slot with an end portion inserted into the second slot portion to retain the archwire in the archwire slot;
• first locking means for releasably locking the closure member in said closed position in the closure slot;
• and
• second locking means for locking the closure member in an open position in the closure slot to insert or remove the archwire;
• the closure member including a flat core member and flat spring member wrapped lengthwise around a portion of the core member, the core member having an end protruding through the spring member and bendable downward to engage an outer side of the bracket body to retain the closure member in the closed position.

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body having first and second side portions spaced apart to define an archwire slot for receiving an archwire;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• a closure member receivable within the closure slot and slidable across the archwire slot;
• the closure slot including a first slot portion formed in the first side portion of the bracket body and a second slot portion formed in the second side portion of the bracket body on opposite sides of the archwire slot so that the closure member can be slid to a closed position through the first slot portion transversely of the archwire slot with an end portion inserted into the second slot portion to retain the archwire in the archwire slot;
• first locking means for releasably locking the closure member in said closed position in the closure slot;
• and
• second locking means for locking the closure member in an open position in the closure slot to insert or remove the archwire;
• the first and second locking means including means defining an internal shoulder extending along one side of he archwire slot and oriented across a side of the closure slot normal to the direction of closure of the closure member;
• the first locking means including a free end of a flat spring member biased to engage the internal shoulder in said closed position, the free end having a width less than a width of the closure slot, and the internal shoulder including means defining an escape notch in the internal shoulder for releasing the free end when depressed.

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body defining an archwire slot oriented for insertion and removal of an archwire in a labio-lingual direction normal to a bonding pad;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• and
• a closure member, having first and second ends, receivable in and slidable occluso-gingivally within the closure slot;
• the closure slot including a first slot portion formed in a first side of the bracket body and a second slot portion formed in a second side of the bracket body on opposite sides of the archwire slot so that the closure member can be slid through the first slot portion across the archwire slot and inserted into the second slot portion to retain the archwire in shear;
• the closure slot having a generally flat, rectangular shape including a width substantially greater than a thickness thereof;
• the closure member being formed by a flat folded spring member rectangularly shaped and sized to fit conformably within the rectangular shape of the closure slot.

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body defining an archwire slot of a predetermined width for receiving an archwire;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• and
• a closure member, having first and second ends, receivable and slidable within the closure slot;
• the closure slot including a first slot portion formed in a first side of the bracket body and a second slot portion formed in a second side of the bracket body on opposite sides of the archwire slot so that the closure member can be slid through the first slot portion across the archwire slot and inserted into the second slot portion to retain the archwire in shear;
• the closure slot having a generally flat, rectangular shape including a width substantially greater than the width of the archwire slot;
• the closure member being formed by a flat folded spring member rectangularly shaped and sized to fit conformably within the rectangular shape of the closure slot.

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body having first and second side portions spaced apart to define an archwire slot oriented for receiving an archwire in a labio-lingual direction;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• a closure member receivable within the closure slot and slidable across the archwire slot;
• the closure slot including a first slot portion formed in the first side portion of the bracket body and a second slot portion formed in the second side portion of the bracket body on opposite sides of the archwire slot so that the closure member can be slid to a closed position through the first slot portion across the archwire slot with an end portion inserted into the second slot portion to retain the archwire in the archwire slot;
• the bracket body having an external profile which is substantially continuous and the closure member having a generally flat, rectangular shape and end which are positioned substantially flush with the sides of the body when received in the closure slot in the closed position;
• the bracket body having walls of substantially constant thickness formed into a U-shaped cross section to form the side portions that define said archwire slot.

A self-locking orthodontic bracket mountable on a pad arranged for mounting on a tooth, the bracket comprising:

• a bracket body having first and second side portions spaced apart to define an archwire slot for receiving an archwire;
• a closure slot extending transversely of the archwire slot in the bracket body;
• the closure slot extending through the first and second side portions of the bracket body;
• a flat, rectangular closure member, having first and second ends, receivable and slidable within the closure slot;
• the closure slot and closure member being mutually arranged so that the closure member can be slid through the closure slot across the archwire slot to a closed position in which the first and second ends thereof are secured within the first and second side portions, respectively, to retain the archwire in shear;
• the closure member being formed by a flat folded spring member rectangularly shaped and sized to fit conformably within the rectangular shape of the closure slot.