Marked orthodonic aid and method of manufacturing

A method of producing identifying indicia on an orthodontic aid, comprising the steps of providing a preformed metallic orthodontic body having an outer surface, and remelting a portion of said outer surface to form indicia having a predetermined thickness measured from said outer surface to provide a permanent marking on said body.

In an orthodontic appliance having a metallic body with an outer surface having indicia, the improvement wherein said indicia consists essentially of a remelt structure formed in said surface to a predetermined thickness for providing a permanent marking on the orthodontic appliance.

In a method of marking a metallic orthodontic appliance, wherein a pre-formed metallic body having a smooth outer surface is provided, the improvement comprising the steps of locally heating said outer surface to remelt the metallic body to a predetermined thickness, and advancing said local heating relative to said surface to remelt in the form of a legible marking the outer surface of the body.

A metallic orthodontic aid comprising a metallic body having an outer surface and a marking on the outer surface, the marking comprising a remelt structure made of the same material as the outer surface, and the remelt structure of the marking having a wear characteristic which is substantially the same as that of the remainder of the outer surface.

A method of producing an optically visible surface marking on a metallic orthodontic aid, the method comprising the steps of providing a metallic orthodontic aid having an outer surface, treating a portion of the outer surface to produce a remelt structure as a marking on the outer surface, the treating step providing a remelt structure having a wear characteristic which is substantially the same as that of the remainder of the outer surface.