Imperfect model

        Brand-new attachments are not necessarily good because these are new, as we have found quite a few to be defective. Like any industrial products, orthodontic attachments are subjected by their manufacturers to a statistical inspection. Out of 1000, some 10 to 100 samples are usually examined. This standard procedure, dictated by economic reasons, does not lend itself to a thorough inspection. The most desirable ones (mesh type) have to be assembled manually one by one, and each of these, therefore, can be faulty. Over the years, we have published several articles in specialty journals, both in the United States and abroad, showing our incredible findings (see references). In many meetings, we have presented displays exhibiting hundreds of brand-new brackets having major defects.

Collections of faulty attachments presented during the years in orthodontic meetings

Brackets as released for sale by manufacturers: observe in-out, slot, torque..

 

 

...tie-wing and bases

        Years ago, at a European Orthodontic Society meeting held in Copenhagen, our car was broken into, and from all our many belongings, only our collection of poorly manufactured brackets was stolen, leading to very definite suspicions...

       Defective attachments are, unfortunately, so common that we have been able to replenish our collection within a few months! Worse yet, while some defects are easy to detect (such as brackets released without slots), wrong torques or in-and-outs are more difficult to notice. Poorly manufactured brackets can wreak havoc with treatment, as demonstrated by the strange arch wire contortions we usually see accompanying faulty attachments. While we do not manufacture attachments (we only clean, inspect, sort, and resterilize them), what we do is very labor intensive because of the inspection process each attachment is examined several times, in different angles and stages. Qualified people use an entire array of high-tech magnifiers and stereomicroscopes for this purpose.

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