An orthodontic bracket which can be selectively active or passive, and can be active or passive on one tooth and can be independently active or passive on adjacent or any other tooth. The bracket includes a body having a groove for receiving an archwire, a slide for moving from an open position to a closed position to thereby capture the archwire, and a spring slidably engageable in the slide in either a passive or an active position. When in the active position the spring bears on the archwire. A method of using this orthodontic bracket comprises mounting the body to a patients tooth with the slide in the open position, inserting an archwire into the groove in the body and closing the slide to secure the archwire in the groove. The spring can be in the passive or in the active position.
