*ALAT
appliance (ap·pli·ance) (ə-pli´əns) in dentistry, a general term referring to various devices used to provide a function or therapeutic effect, e.g., dental prostheses, obturators, or orthodontic appliances.

edgewise a. a fixed, multiunit orthodontic appliance using a rectangular labial arch wire ligated to brackets cemented to individual teeth or to bands encircling the teeth. So called because the bracket is machined so that the rectangular arch wire is inserted with its long cross section horizontal instead of vertical as in the ribbon arch bracket.