Edgewise orthodontic bracket with character base

An edgewise orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a body comprising first and second opposing tie wings defining a labially opening and mesiodistally-extending archwire slot therebetween, said first tie wing having an outer sidewall extending labially away from a longitudinal center plane of said archwire slot, said second tie wing having an outer sidewall extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal center plane of the archwire slot, wherein a trapezoidal configuration is defined between said outer sidewalls;
• a base interconnected to said body, said base having a substantially continuous pattern of characters and intermediate space, said base including a discontinuous perimeter rail;
• and
• at least one auxiliary slot, said at least one auxiliary slot including said pattern of characters.

An edgewise orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a body including gingival and occlusal tie wings defining a labially opening archwire slot therebetween, said archwire slot having opposing sidewalls and an adjoining floor;
• a first convex portion extending labially from said floor and across said archwire slot;
• a first auxiliary slot positioned under said convex portion;
• a base interconnected to said body, said base having a substantially continuous pattern of characters and intermediate space, said base including a discontinuous perimeter rail, said characters and said perimeter rail interrupted by said first auxiliary slot;
• and
• at least one auxiliary slot, said at least one auxiliary slot including said pattern of characters.

An edgewise orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a body comprising gingival and occlusal sidewalls;
• gingival and occlusal tie wings extending from said body and defining a labially opening archwire slot therebetween, wherein said gingival and occlusal tie wings are in a fixed position;
• an auxiliary slot extending entirely through said body from said occlusal sidewall to said gingival sidewall, wherein said auxiliary slot is positioned on at least one of a mesial and a distal side of said bracket;
• and,
• an auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having a shaft portion positionable within said auxiliary slot;
• said auxiliary slot and said shaft portion of said auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having complimentary configurations wherein rotational movement therebetween is restricted;
• and
• a base connected to said body, said base including an exterior surface, said exterior surface including a substantially continuous pattern of characters and intermediate space, wherein said characters and said intermediate space are separated by a character wall, wherein said character wall has a polished surface.

An edgewise orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a body comprising gingival and occlusal sidewalls;
• gingival and occlusal tie wings extending from said body and defining a labially opening archwire slot therebetween, wherein said gingival and occlusal tie wings are in a fixed position;
• an auxiliary slot extending entirely through said body from said occlusal sidewall to said gingival sidewall, wherein said auxiliary slot is positioned on at least one of a mesial and a distal side of said bracket;
• and,
• an auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having a shaft portion positionable within said auxiliary slot;
• said auxiliary slot and said shaft portion of said auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having complimentary configurations wherein rotational movement therebetween is restricted;
• and
• a base connected to said body, wherein said base is molded together with said body such that said body and said base are one-piece, said base having a continuous pattern of characters and intermediate space, wherein said characters are recessed relative to said intermediate space, wherein said characters and said intermediate space are separated by a character wall, and wherein said character wall has a polished surface.

An edgewise orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a body comprising gingival and occlusal sidewalls;
• gingival and occlusal tie wings extending from said body and defining a labially opening archwire slot therebetween, wherein said gingival and occlusal tie wings are in a fixed position;
• an auxiliary slot extending entirely through said body from said occlusal sidewall to said gingival sidewall, wherein said auxiliary slot is positioned on at least one of a mesial and a distal side of said bracket;
• and,
• an auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having a shaft portion positionable within said auxiliary slot;
• said auxiliary slot and said shaft portion of said auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having complimentary configurations wherein rotational movement therebetween is restricted;
• and
• a base connected to said body, said base including a discontinuous perimeter rail having a perimeter length and at least one cavity along said length, wherein said discontinuous perimeter rail comprises a distal/gingival corner, a gingival/mesial corner, a mesial/occlusal corner, and an occlusal/distal corner, and wherein said distal/gingival corner, said gingival/mesial corner, said mesial/occlusal corner, and said occlusal/distal corner are separated from one another by at least one cavity.

An edgewise orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a body comprising gingival and occlusal sidewalls;
• gingival and occlusal tie wings extending from said body and defining a labially opening archwire slot therebetween, wherein said gingival and occlusal tie wings are in a fixed position;
• an auxiliary slot extending entirely through said body from said occlusal sidewall to said gingival sidewall, wherein said auxiliary slot is positioned on at least one of a mesial and a distal side of said bracket;
• and,
• an auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having a shaft portion positionable within said auxiliary slot;
• said auxiliary slot and said shaft portion of said auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having complimentary configurations wherein rotational movement therebetween is restricted;
• and
• a base connected to said body, said base including an exterior surface, said exterior surface including a substantially continuous pattern of characters and intermediate space, wherein said characters are alpha/numeric and convey to a user of said bracket information selected from the group consisting of:
• model number, manufacturer, date of manufacture, lot number, distributor, placement data, and bracket data.

An edgewise orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a body comprising gingival and occlusal sidewalls;
• gingival and occlusal tie wings extending from said body and defining a labially opening archwire slot therebetween, wherein said gingival and occlusal tie wings are in a fixed position;
• an auxiliary slot extending entirely through said body from said occlusal sidewall to said gingival sidewall, wherein said auxiliary slot is positioned on at least one of a mesial and a distal side of said bracket;
• and,
• an auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having a shaft portion positionable within said auxiliary slot;
• said auxiliary slot and said shaft portion of said auxiliary orthodontic treatment device having complimentary configurations wherein rotational movement therebetween is restricted;
• and
• a base connected to said body, said base including an exterior surface, said exterior surface including a substantially continuous pattern of characters and intermediate space, said base further comprising a discontinuous perimeter rail wherein said discontinuous perimeter rail comprises a distal/gingival corner, a gingival/mesial corner, a mesial/occlusal corner, and an occlusal/distal corner, wherein said distal/gingival corner, said gingival/mesial corner, said mesial/occlusal corner, and said occlusal/distal corner are separated from one another by a distance.