SINGLE CONTINUOUS SPRING ORTHODONTIC BRACKET AND SYSTEM

A novel orthodontic bracket system comprised of orthodontic appliances, such as brackets or buccal tubes, with a buccal-labial slot orientation. Brackets in the system include a base for bonding the appliance to a tooth and a body extending from the base. An arch wire slot extends across the body in a generally mesial-distal direction and opens in a generally buccal-labial direction. The body has a chamfer that widens the arch wire slot at its opening. A resilient retention device such as a spring is associated with the slot and has a terminal portion opposite the chamfer when in a resting position to permit both entry and removal of an arch wire from said slot. The arch wire retention device is designed to guide, retain and/or seat the arch wire in cooperation with the arch wire slot, and in cooperation with the chamfer permits entry or release of the arch wire from the arch wire slot as the arch wire is moved along the chamfer.