Convertible buccal tube orthodontic bracket

1. An orthodontic bracket having

(a) a base attachable to a tooth surface and having an archwire slot sized to receive an archwire said base having lateral cutout portions,

(b) a removable archwire slot cover having laterally extending tabs adapted to matingly fit within said lateral cutout portions in said base so as to cover at least a portion of said archwire slot and to enable said bracket to function as a buccal tube, said removable archwire slot cover capable of being removed from said bracket base without removal of said bracket from said tooth surface so as to provide an open archwire slot for continued orthodontic treatment subsequent to removal of said removable archwire slot cover, and

(c) a plurality of bendable protrusions formed in said lateral cutout portions of said base and selectively bendable toward and away from said archwire slot, said bendable protrusions being bent to bear against said tabs of said slot cover to retain said slot cover in said base.

2. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said removable archwire slot cover extends longitudinally over and beyond the open ends of said archwire slot.

3. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said base includes at least one pair of tie wings, each of said pair of tie wings having a first tie wing and a second tie wing oriented on opposite sides of said archwire slot from one another and each extending transversely away from said archwire slot, said first and second tie wings oriented and formed so as to permit use of a ligature or ligating module for holding said archwire within said archwire slot when said removable archwire slot cover is removed.

4. The bracket of claim 1 where said base includes one or more lead-in chamfers to said archwire slot.

5. The bracket of claim 1 wherein longitudinally opposite ends of said removable archwire slot cover are flared outward away from a bottom surface of said archwire slot.

6. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said removable archwire slot cover is positioned on at least one ledge formed upon said base so as to define an enclosed buccal tube sized to receive said archwire.

7. An orthodontic bracket comprising:

(a) a base attachable to a tooth surface and extending outward away from said tooth surface said base including lateral cutout portions;

(b) an archwire slot formed within said base and sized to receive an archwire therewithin, said archwire slot having a bottom and two opposing sides adjacent said bottom and extending longitudinally between two opposite ends;

(c) a plurality of bendable protrusions formed in said lateral cutout portion of said base adjacent said archwire slot;

(d) a removable archwire slot cover sized to cover said archwire slot, said removable archwire slot cover including tabs sized to matingly fit within said lateral cutout portions and said tabs of said cover being retained on said base by said bendable protrusions when bent toward said archwire slot so as to bear against said tabs of said slot cover and enable said bracket to function as a buccal tube, said removable archwire slot cover having ends outwardly flared in a direction away from said archwire slot, and being capable of being removed from said bracket base without removal of said bracket from said tooth surface by bending said protrusions away from said slot cover.

8. The bracket of claim 7 wherein said removable archwire slot cover extends longitudinally beyond said bottom and said opposite ends of said archwire slot so as to overhang said archwire slot when said removable archwire slot cover is retained on said base.

9. The bracket of claim 7 wherein said removable archwire slot cover is removable from said base by force applied to said removable archwire slot cover in a direction away from said bottom of said archwire slot to overcome the retention force provided by said protrusions.

10. An orthodontic bracket comprising:

(a) a base attachable to a tooth surface and extending outward away from said tooth surface said base including lateral cutout portions;

(b) an archwire slot formed within said base and sized to receive an archwire therewithin, said archwire slot having a bottom and two opposing sides adjacent said bottom and extending longitudinally between two opposite ends;

(c) a plurality of bendable protrusions formed in said lateral cutout portion of said base adjacent said archwire slot, said protrusions being adapted to bend selectively both toward and away from said archwire slot;

(d) a removable archwire slot cover sized to cover said archwire slot, said removable archwire slot cover having tabs adapted to matingly fit in said lateral cutout portions and said tabs of said cover being retained on said base by said bendable protrusions when bent toward said archwire slot over said tabs so as to cover said archwire slot and enable said bracket to function as a buccal tube, said removable archwire slot cover having ends outwardly flared in a direction away from said archwire slot; and,

(e) at least one pair of tie wings formed upon said base, each of said pair of tie wings having a first tie wing and a second tie wing oriented on opposite sides of said archwire slot from one another and each extending transversely away from said archwire slot, said first and second tie wings oriented and formed so as to permit use of a ligature or ligating module for holding said archwire within said archwire slot when said removable archwire slot cover is removed.

11. The bracket of claim 10 wherein said removable archwire slot cover extends longitudinally beyond said bottom and said opposite ends of said archwire slot so as to overhang said archwire slot when said removable archwire slot cover is secured onto said base.