Plastic bracket with adhesive primer layer and methods of making

A shelf-stable plastic orthondontic bracket, comprising:

• a body portion,
• a bonding base integral with said body portion which is made of a plastic material and has a tooth contact surface, and
• a monomeric, acrylic adhesive primer layer, said primer layer is adhered to and solvated into said tooth contact surface, is shelf stable, and retains its efficacy to enhance the bond strength of said bracket with a dental adhesive even after prolonged storage of said bracket for cup to at least several weeks.

A method of making a shelf-stable plastic orthodontic bracket having an adhesive primer layer, comprising:

• applying a solvating mixture containing solvents and monomers to the tooth contact surface of a plastic bracket and allowing said mixture to solvate into said plastic tooth contact surface for a predetermined period of time, and
• heating the bracket and solvating mixture to volatilize solvents and lower molecular weight monomers in said solvating mixture to thereby form a monomeric adhesive primer layer adhered to and solvated into said tooth contact surface, said primer layer being shelf-stable and retaining is efficacy to enhance the bond strength of said bracket with a dental adhesive even after prolonged storage of said bracket for up to at least several weeks.

A method of making a shelf-stable, plastic orthodontic bracket having an adhesive primer layer, comprising:

• applying a solvating mixture containing solvents and acrylic monomers to the tooth contact surface of a polycarbonate plastic bracket and allowing said mixture to solvate into said plastic tooth contact surface for a predetermined period of time in the range of about 2-30 minutes, and
• heating the bracket and solvating mixture to a temperature in the range of about 60.degree.-100.degree. C. for a time period in the range of about 5 minutes to 2 hours to volatilize solvents and lower molecular weight monomers in said solvating mixture to thereby form a monomeric adhesive primer layer adhered to and solvated into said tooth contact surface, said primer layer being shelf-stable and retaining its efficacy to enhance the bond strength of said bracket with a dental adhesive even after prolonged storage of said bracket for up to least several weeks.