Clinical Performance of a New Esthetic, Self-ligating Orthodontic Bracket

A cohort of 15 patients starting orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances will receive EXD-952 Ceramic Self-ligating brackets on all mandibular incisors and a different type of brackets on the remaining mandibular teeth. Tooth movement will be initiated using 0.014" or 0.016" Nickel-Titanium archwires. A second cohort of 15 patients will receive EXD-952 Ceramic Self-ligating bracket on all mandibular incisors in a later phase of their ongoing orthodontic treatment. The mandibular incisor brackets will be removed and EXD-952 Ceramic Self-ligating brackets placed instead. Other mandibular brackets will remain in place. Tooth movement will be performed using 0.019x0.025" Stainless Steel archwires. In both cohorts bracket door stability, the ability of the door to hold the archwire in the bracket slot, the bracket's ability to rotate teeth, clinicians' satisfaction with the bracket, and patient comfort in comparison with other brackets will be assessed. The evaluation for each patient will last for at least until one archwire change (cohort 1) or one appointment interval (6-8 weeks, cohort 2). After the evaluation period, EXD-952 Ceramic Self-ligating brackets will remain in place until the orthodontic treatment is completed.