Modular system for customized orthodontic appliances

A set of customized orthodontic brackets 14 are provided with slots 22 that are arranged substantially parallel to the tooth surface. The archwire 10, in an as-manufactured condition, has a portion of substantial arcuate extent, which is canted relative to the occlusal plane 15. The brackets 14 are designed to have a bracket bonding pad large enough to cover substantial curvature features of the tooth anatomy on a computer as a combination of three-dimensional virtual objects comprising the virtual bracket bonding pad 18 and a separate virtual bracket body retrieved from a library of virtual bracket bodies. The virtual brackets can be represented as a file containing digital shape data and exported to a rapid prototype fabrication device for fabrication of the bracket 14 in wax or other material and casting the wax prototype in a suitable alloy.