An orthodontic appliance such as a bracket or buccal tube has a latch for retaining an archwire in an archwire slot. The latch releases the archwire from the archwire slot whenever the archwire exerts a force on the appliance that exceeds a certain minimum value. The latch comprises at least one clip having certain features that significantly reduce strain during opening movements of the clip, so that the likelihood of fracture of the clip during use is significantly reduced.
