Orhodontic wires

ORHODONTIC WIRES
PRESENTED BY-SHUBHAM SHARAN
PG 1ST YEAR
SEEMA DENTAL COLLEGE AND
HOSPITAL
“All you can do is push, pull or turn a tooth. I have given you an appliance
and now for God’s sake use it.”
-E. H ANGLE

CONTENTS
 HISTORY
 REQUIREMENTS OF IDEAL ARCHWIRE
 BASIC PROPERTIES
 ARCHWIRE MATERIALS
1. PRECIOUS METALS
2. STAINLESS STEEL
3. COBALTCHROMIUM ALLOYS
4. HIGHTENSILE AUSTRALIANWIRES
5.TITANIUM ALLOYS
6. MULTISTRANDEDWIRES
 NEWER ORTHODONTICWIRES

HISTORY
• Au, Pt, Ir and Ag alloys. -good corrosion
resistance, & acceptable esthetics, lacked
flexibility & tensile strength.
• Angle (1887) German silver
• Later -stainless steel- for appliance fabrication.
Material scarcity
abundance of ideas
(1750-1930)
• 50s that the Cobalt chrome alloy
• mid 70s archwires with titanium
Abundance of
materials,
Refinement of
Procedures (1930 –
1975
• Beta titanium alloys around 1980
• CAD/CAM manufacture of orthodontic
materials & New materials like composites &
ceramics
The beginning of
Selectivity (1975 to
the present)

REQUIREMENTS OF IDEAL AECHWIRES
(Kusy 1997)
 1. Esthetics
 2. Stiffness
 3. Strength
 4. Range
 5. Springback
 6. Formability
 7. Resiliency
 8. Coefficient of friction
 9. Biohostability
 10. Biocompatibility
 11.Weldability

BASIC PROPERTIES
 ELASTIC PROPERTIES
• Internal distribution
of loadSTRESS
• Internal distortion
produced by the
load
STRAIN

STRESS STRAIN CURVE
PROPORTIONAL
LIMIT
YIELD
STRENGTH
ULTIMATE
TENSILE
STRENGTH
MODULUS OF
ELASTICITY
STIFFNESS

RESILIENCE FORMABILITY FLEXIBILITY TOUGHNRSS BRITTLENESS

EFFECT OF GEOMETRY OF BEAMS-
CANTILIVER

ORTHODONTIC ARCHWIRE MATERIALS
 Precious Metals
 Stainless Steel
 Obalt Chromium Alloys
 High tensile Australian wires
 Cobalt-chrome wires
 NiTi wires
 Multistranded Wires

PRECIOUS METALS
• gold alloys were used for
orthodontic wires.
Upto the
1950s
• this was the only wire which would
tolerate the oral environment.
At that
time
• not used, except occationally for
fabrication of the Crozat appliance,
according to its original design.
Now

STAINLESS STEEL
 Stainless steel was discovered accidentally a
few years beforeWorld War I and was first
used in dentistry in around 1919, in Germany,
where it was used to make prostheses.

STAINLESS STEEL-STRUCTURE &
COMPOSITION
• improve the corrosion resistance
• stabilizes the BCC ferrite phase
Chromium
(11-26%)
• nickel stabilizes the crystal into a homogenous and
corrosion – resistant austenitic phase
Nickel(0-
22%)
• amount of nickel added to the alloy can be reduced.
• tend to adversely affect the corrosion resistance.
Cu, Mn, N

• provides strength,
• reduces the corrosion resistance.This
occurs by a process called sensitization.
Carbon (0.08-
1.2%)
• low concentrations improves the
resistance to oxidation and carburization
at high temperatures
Silicon
• S-increases ease of machining
• P-allows sintering at lower temperatures
• BOTH-reduce the corrosion resistance. .
Sulfur &
Phosphorous
(0.015%)

SENSITIZATION
If the steel is not properly cooled after heat treatment (
this includes heating between 400-900oC, as during
soldering or welding) the chromium diffuses towards
the carbon rich areas (usually the grain boundaries). In
these areas, chromium carbides are formed and the
amount of chromium decreases.This reduces the
corrosion resistance. Also, this film of chromium
carbide is soluble, and can lead to intergranular
corrosion.

CLASSIFICATION
According to the
 The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI),
 The Unified Number System (UNS) and
 The German Standards (DIN).

AUSTENITIC(The
300 series)
• Better corrosion
resistance
• fcc structure
• 18-8 stainless
steels
• fcc structure is
not stable at
room
temperature,
and elements
like Ni, Mn and N
are required to
stabilize it.
MARTENSITIC
• bcc structure
• HIGHLY
STRESSED
• results in more
grain boundries,
and hence a
stronger, but
less corrosion
resistant alloy
• for making
instrument
edges which
need to be sharp
and wear
resistant.
FERRITIC (The 400
series)
• Good corrosion
resistance but
low strength
• Not hardenable
by heat
treatment
• Nor are they
readily cold
worked.

AUSTENITIC PREFERRED
Substantial strengthening during cold work
Ease of Welding & forming
Can fairly easily overcome sensitization
Greater ductility and ability to undergo more cold work without breaking

 Cold work is the only way to strengthen
austenitic steel (cannot be strengthened by
heat treatment). Part of the strengthening
effect is due to the fact that some of the
austenite gets converted to martensite.

DUPLEX STEELS
 These consist of an assembly of both
austenite and ferrite grains.
 They have increased toughness and ductility
than Ferritic steels and twice the yield
strength of austenitic steels.They have lower
nickel content, and are used in manufacturing
low nickel attachments.

PRECIPITATION HARDENED STEEL
 These have certain elements added to them
which tend to precipitate and increase the
hardness of the steel on heat treatment.The
strength is very high, but the resistance to
corrosion is low. Hence these steels are used
to make mini-brackets.

GENERAL PROPERTIES
Relatively stiff (can be varied to a large extent, by
altering the carbon content and cold working
and annealing)
lowest frictional resistance-used in sliding
mechanics
Ni & Cr content are released and may cause
adverse reaction

HIGH STIFFNESS MEANS
• will produce high forces, which dissipate over a
very short amount of deactivation (high load
deflection rate).
• a loop made of a steel wire, will have to be
activated to a very small extent so as to achieve
optimal force & force level drops tremendously
• force exerted in not physiologic
• more activations of the wire are needed.

• amount of force required to engage a steel wire into
a severely mal-aligned tooth
• would either cause the bracket to pop out, or the
patient to experience severe pain
• This can be overcome by using thinner wires, which
have a lower stiffness.
• But the thin wires fit poorly in the bracket slot, and
there is a loss of control on the teeth.

USE OF HIGH STIFFNESS
maintain the
positions of teeth,
and to hold the
corrections
achieved
the later stages of
treatment
in Begg treatment,
to dissipate the
adverse effects of
the auxiliaries used
in the third stage.

COBALT CROMIUM ALLOYS
 Developed during the 1950s as Elgiloy •
Originally used for watch springs •
Composition: – Cobalt – 40-45%
 – Chromium – 15-22%
 – Nickel – for strength and ductility
 – Iron, molybdenum, tungsten and titanium
to form stable carbides and enhance
hardenability.

1.
• Supplied in a softer form
• Shaping of wire done in softer form
2.
• Heat treatment (500 0C)
3.
• Wires get hardened (equivalent to
SS)

DISADVANTAGES
 Disappeared by the end of 20th centuary
Additional cost
Extra set up for the heat
treatment to obtain optimal
properties.

HISTORY
1
• In the early part of Dr. Begg’s career, all his
materials were produced by Arthur Wilcock Sr.,
including lock pins, brackets, bands, wires, etc.
2
• Dr. Begg needed high wires which would
remain active in the mouth for long periods, so
that frequent visits could be avoided.
3
• This leadWilcock to develop steel wires of high
tensile strength.

 .
4
• The Begg technique became more popular.
• Beginners found it difficult to use the highest tensile wires that A J Wilcock was
supplying.
5
• He developed a grading system according to the tensile strength. At that time,
late 1950s, the grades available were –
• Regular, Regular plus, Special , Special plus
6
• The newer grades were introduced after the 70s.
• This was when the manufactures had to obtain their raw materials directly
from the suppliers out of Australia, in order to meet the increasing demand.
• This lead to more specific ordering and obtaining better raw materials, and
ultimately producing higher tensile strength wires – Premium grade.

CONVENTIONAL SS vs SUPREME
GRADE AUSTRALIAN WIRE
Stress-Strain graph comparing conventional SS to Supreme grade wire

DISADVANTAGES
highly brittle, and broke easily.
usual methods to straighten the
wire lead to softening and the wires
lost their high tensile properties.

BAUSCHINGER EFFECT
 Dr. Bauschinger in 1886.
 If a material is strained beyond its yield point
in one direction, and then strained in the
reverse direction, its yield strength in the
reverse direction is reduced

IMPORTENT
 Plastic prestrain increases the elastic limit of
deformation in the same direction as the
prestrain.
 Plastic prestrain decreases the elastic limit of
deformation in the direction opposite to the
prestrain.
 If the magnitude of the prestrain is increased,
the elastic limit in the reverse direction can
reduce to zero.

SIGNIFICANCE
To straighten a wire, it is usually subjected to a
process of pulling through a series of rollers so that it
is subjected to prestrain in a particular direction.
So the yield strength for bending in the opposite
direction will decrease.
after straightening a wire in this fashion, we obtain a
wire of lower grade.
So the properties of flexibility and resiliency of the
premium wire is lost.

PULSE STRAIGHTENING
 Permits the straightening of
high tensile wires
 Does not reduce the yield
strength of the wire
 Results in a smoother wire,
hence less wire – bracket
friction.
 The higher yield strength of the
newer grade wires mean that
the wires are more flexible,
Nearing that of β-titanium But
SS wires have higher resiliency
– nearly 3 times

Clinical investigations by Mollenhauer-
supreme grade wire resulted in
faster and gentler alignment of teeth.
intrusion could be carried out
simultaneously with the base wires
gingival health seemed better.

Methods of increasing yield
strength of Australian wires
grain refinement and orientation
solid solution strengthening
dislocation locking
Work hardening

Clinical significance of high
yield strength
 Flexibility and resiliency are important properties of orthodontic wires.
 Flexibility –Yield strength
Elastic Modulus
 Resilience - (Yield strength)2
Elastic Modulus
 It can clearly be seen that both properties will increase as yield strength
increases.
 Range will also increase. Stiffness remains the same.
 The plastic portion of the stress-strain graph for high tensile wires is smaller, and
the wires are more brittle.


Zero Stress Relaxation
wire is deformed and
held in a fixed position
stress in the wire may
diminish with time
but the strain remains
constant
Zero stress
relaxation
Constant light
forces
When
subjected to
external force

External Forces
particles slip over
each other
activation is lost
overcome by the
internal friction
by making the yield
strength of the
material as high as
possible

STRESS RELAXATION
 Twelftree, Cocks and Sims (AJO 1977) showed
MINIMAL-
Premium plus,
Premium and
Special plus
SOME-Special,
Remanit,
Yellow Elgiloy,
Unisil

 The high tensile wires mean that smaller
diameter of wires can be uses, and hence
smaller diameter springs (like the mini
springs) can be effectively used to provide
light continuous forces.

superior properties
lowest stress relaxation.
lesser coefficient of friction,
higher range
highest yield strength and
ultimate tensile strength

 Ortho Organizers andT.P. Orthodontics have
introduced the following wires to compare
with the Australian wires –
 Super Plus (Ortho Organizers) – between
Special plus and Premium
 Premier (TP) – Comparable to Special
 Premier Plus – Special Plus
 Bowflex – Premium

Fracture of wires
 One of the methods of increasing the yield strength
of a metal is dislocation locking.This results in the
high tensile wires having high density of dislocations
and crystal defects

These dislocations
tend to pile up, and
form a minute crack
The stress
concentration at this
point is very high
that only small stress
applied with the plier
beaks can result in
crack propagation
As the crack
propagates, elastic
energy is released
propagation
accelerates to the
nearest grain
boundary

 Additionally, if the wire has been sensitized, ie- if
there are chromium carbides precipitated at
the grain boundries, fracture becomes easier.
 In this way, the crack continues to propagate,
and it appears at the surface some distance from
the point where it is bent – this appears as
though a skin of the wire has separated from the
main wire.

WAYS OF PREVENTING FRACTURE
• Bending the wire around the flat beak of the pliers.
1.
• The wire should not be held tightly in the beaks of the
pliers.
• Also the tips of the pliers should not be of tungsten
carbide
2.
• The edges of the square beak should be rounded to
reduce the stress concentration.
• The wire has a ductile – brittle transition temperature
slightly above room temperature. Hence the wire
should be warmed slightly before bending
3.

NICKEL TITANIUM ALLOY
 Useful during the initial orthodontic
alignment.
 Can apply a light force over a large range of
activations.
 Nitinol (Ni, nickel;Ti, titanium; NOL, Naval
Ordnance Laboratory) – first NickelTitanium
alloy developed for space program

SHAPE MEMORY & SUPERELASTICITY

SHAPE MEMORY
 Ability of material to remember its original
shape after being plastically deformed.
Certain shape is set at an elevated
temperature
When the alloy is cooled it can be
transitionally deformed
Heated enough to regain
the austenitic structure regained

SUPERELASTICITY
 Reversible strain wire can withstand due to
martensite- austenitic phase transition
 Transition to martensitic in response to
stress.

CLASSIFICATION BY KUSYMartensiticStablised
• No shape
memory and
superelasticit
y
MartensiticActive
• Thermoactiv
e
• Increses in
temperature
• change of
Austenitic to
Martensitic
AusteniticActive
• Pseudo-
elastic
behavior –
Martensitic
transformati
on is stress
induce

BETA- TITANIUM
 • In orthodontic use about two decades ago by
Burstone and Goldberg
 •The commercial name for this wire isTMA,
which represents “titanium-molybdenum alloy
 • Offers a highly desirable combination of
strength, springiness and formability.
 • Excellent choice for auxiliary springs and for
intermediate and finishing archwires
 • Especially rectangular wires for the late stages
of edgewise treatment

WIRES ACCORDING TO SHAPE
ROUND (Initial &
Intermediate stage)
To correct-crowding,
leveling, opening bite,
closing spaces
SQUARE (Final stages)
To correct maxillo-
mandibular relationship
RECTANGULAR
(Same)
MULTISTRANDED

WIRE SIZE
Specified in thousands of an inch
 Eg, .016 inch =16 mil
 16 mil → 16/4 = 04 → 0.4 mm 40 mil → 40/4 =
10 → 1.0 mm

MULTISTRANDED WIRES
 BRAIDED ANDTWISTED
 Very small diameter SS wire can be braided or
twisted together
 • Comprised of five or seven wrapped around
a central wire of same diameter.
 • Affords extreme flexibility and delivers
extremely light forces

Available in both round and
rectangular shape.
• Different type
Triple stranded – 3 wires
twisted
Coaxial – 5 wires wrapped
around a core wire
Braded – 8 strand
rectangular wire.
• Used at the beginning of the
treatment to align
labiolingually displaced or
rotated anterior teeth

TRIANGULAR WIRES
 Triangular in cross-section, .030 inch each side,
with rounded edges.
 • In retainers and other removable orthodontic
appliances.
 •Various types of clasps made of round wire
usually cross the occlusion, creating
interferences that can cause patient discomfort.

 The round wire can act as a wedge to cause
interproximal spacing, which can disrupt the
occlusion, with a potentially adverse effect on
long-term stability.
 • Comfort , periodontal health, and appliance
stability

NEWER ORTHODONTIC WIRES
 1.Titanium Niobium wire
 2.Timolium titanium wire
 3. Super cable
 4. Combined archwire
 5. Bio force archwire
 6. Optiflex archwire
 7. Fiber reinforced composite archwire

TITANIUM NIOBIUM WIRES
 References: 1.Titanium-niobium, a new finishing wire alloy. By
Michel dalstra, Gabriella denes, birte melsen J.Clin orthod res.
2000 feb;3(1):6-14
 2. A comparative evaluation of metallurgical properties of
stainless steel and tma wires withTiolium and titanium niobium
archwires by R devaki vijayalakshmi,ks nagachandran, pradeep
kummi, p jayakumar (indian j dent res,20(4),2009

It was introduced in early 1995 by DR ROHIT
SACHDEVA & Manufactured by Ormco

TITANIUM NIOBIUM
 PROPERTIES:
Ti- nb is soft and easy to form, yet it has the
same working range of stainless steel.
Its stiffness is 20% lower thanTMA and 70%
lower than stainless steel.
Ti-nb wire have a larger plastic range, similar
activation and deactivation curves and
relatively low spring back.

 Its bending stiffness corresponding to 48% lower
than that of stainless steel and a spring back 14%
lower than that of stainless steel.
 We can easily make creative bends and avoid
excessive force levels of a steel wire.
 The stiffness of ti-nb in torsion is only 36% of
steel, yet the spring back of ti-nb in torsional
mode is Slightly higher than stainless steel.
 This property makes it possible to utilize the ti-
nb wire for even the major third order
corrections.

CLINICAL APPLICATION
 The low spring back and high formability of
the titanium-niobium archwire allows
creation of finishing bends Hence, this wire
can be used as an finishing archwire. ( J. Clin
orthod res. 2000 feb;3(1):6-14).

TIMOLIUM TITANIUM ARCHWIRES
 References:
archwires by r devaki vijayalakshmi, ks nagachandran, pradeep
kummi, p jayakumar (indian j dent res,20(4),2009 2. Mechanical
Properties and Surface Characteristics ofThreeArchwireVinod
Krishnan, MDSa; K. Jyothindra Kumar, MDS, M. Orth RCS,
MDO RCPS, FDS RCS Alloys (AngleOrthod 2004;74:825–831.)

TIMOLIUM TITANIUM WIRE
 It is manufactured byTP ORTHODONTICS
Timolium archwires combinesThe flexibility,
continuous force and spring back of nickel
titanium with the high stiffness and bendability
of stainless steel wire.
 When compared to nickel titanium or beta
titanium wire, (angle orthod 2004;74:825–831.)
Timolium outperforms in the following:
 More resistant to breakage,
 Smoother for reduced friction,
 Brightly polished and aesthetically pleasing,

 Nickel free for sensitive patients,
 Easier to bend and shape,
 Can be welded
 Loops and bends can be made without
breakage

 Timolium wire is excellent for all phases of
treatment.
 During initial treatment : it is excellent for
space closure, tooth alignment, levelling and
bite opening.
 During intermediate treatment : early torque
control can begin because of the moderate
forces that are delivered.
 Final treatment phase: total control during
detailing makesTimolium the wire of choice

SUPER CABLE ARCHWIRES
 References:
 1. Supercable and the SPEED system by Berger J, Byloff FK,
 WaramT j clin orthod 1998Apr;32(4):246-53 2.Alignment
efficiency of superelastic coaxial nickel-titanium vs superelastic
single-stranded nickel-titanium in relieving mandibular anterior
crowding A randomized controlled prospective study by Biju
Sebastiana (Angle Orthod.

SUPER CABLE
 In 1993, Hanson combined the mechanical
advantages of multistranded cables with the
material properties of superelastic wires to
create a superelastic nickel titanium coaxial
wire.This wire, called super cable,
 It comprises seven individual strands that are
Woven together in a long, gentle spiral to
maximize flexibility and minimize force
delivery.

PROPERTIES
• Improved treatment efficiency
• Simplified mechanotherapy
• Elimination of archwire bending.
• Flexibility and ease of engagement regardless
of crowding

 No evidence of anchorage loss.
 A light, continuous level of force, preventing
any adverse response of the supporting
periodontium.
 Minimal patient discomfort after initial
archwire placement.
 Fewer patient visits, due to longer archwire
activation.

DISADVANTAGES
•Tendency of wire ends to fray if not cut with
sharp instruments.
•Tendency of archwires to break and unravel in
extraction spaces
•Inability to accommodate bends, steps, or
helices.
•Tendency of wire ends to migrate distally and
occasionally irritate soft tissues as severely
crowded or displaced teeth begin to align.

COMBINED ARCHWIRES
 References:
 1. Combination anchorage technique: an update of
current mechanics byThompsonWJ. Am JOrthod
Dentofacial Orthop. 1988 May;93(5):363-79.
 2. Dual-Flex Archwires by JAMES L. CANNON, DDS, MS
JCOVOLUME 18 : NUMBER 09 : PAGES (648-649) 1984

 The key to success in a multi attachment straight
wire system is
 To have the ability to use light tipping
movements in combination with rigid translation
 To be able to vary the location of either,
 at any time the need arises during treatment.
 They used three specific combined wires for the
technique
 1. Dual Flex-l,
 2. Dual Flex-2, and
 3. Dual Flex-3 (Lancer Orthodontics).

DUAL FLEX 1
 it consists of a anterior section made of
0.016-inch roundTitanal and a posterior
section made of 0.016-inch round steel.
 The flexible front part easily aligns the
anterior teeth and the rigid posterior part
maintains the anchorage and molar control
by means of the “V” bend, mesial to the
molars. It is used at the beginning of
treatment.

DUAL FLEX 2
 It consists of a flexible anterior segment
composed of an 0.016 ´ 0.022-inch
rectangularTitanal and a rigid posterior
segment of round 0.018-inch steel.

DUAL FLEX 3
 This however, consists of a flexible anterior
part of an 0.017 ´ 0.025-inchTitanal
rectangular wire and a posterior part of 0.018
square steel wire.
 The Dual Flex-2 and 3 wires establish anterior
anchorage and control molar rotation during
the closure of posterior spaces.
 They also initiate the anterior torque.

BIOFORCE ARCHWIRE
 References:
 1. Effect of coating on properties of esthetic
orthodontic nickel-titanium wires by
Masahiro Iijimaa;Takeshi Mugurumab;
William A. Brantleyc; Han-Cheol Choed;
Angle Orthodontist,Vol 82, No 2, 2012

 Introduced by GAC
 It was possible to produce variation in force
delivery between archwires of identical
dimension
 This was possible by specifying transition
temperatures within given ranges. And were
graded as thermodynamic arch wires.
 This property was further advanced to produce
variable transition temperatures within the same
archwire
 This arch wire was called Bioforce archwire

ADVANTAGES
 It is aesthetic
 Is the first and only family of biologically
correct archwires
 It applies low and gentle forces to anteriors
 Increasingly stronger forces across the
posteriors until plateauing at the molars.

 Beginning at approximately 100 grams
 increasing to approximately 300 grams
 It provides the right force to each tooth
 Reducing the number of wire changes &
 Providing greater patient comfort

 During initial stages when anterior torque is
needed, use of an relatively large size (i.e.
0.018x0.025) can be given without the fear of
significant root resorption.
 During later stages of treatment i.e.
 If the posterior occlusion is not settled in,
 rotations have not been fully corrected or
 the bite opening is taking a long time because
of the heavy musculature.

OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRES
 References:
 1.Talass M E .Optiflex archwire treatment of a
skeletal Class HI open bite. J Clin Orthod
1992; 26: 245-52.
 2. Effect of coating on properties of esthetic
orthodontic nickel-titanium wires by
Masahiro Iijimaa;Takeshi Mugurumab;
William A. Brantleyc; Han-Cheol Choed;
Angle Orthodontist,Vol 82, No 2, 2012

 Optiflex is a non metallic orthodontic arch
wire
 It was designed by DR.TALASS
 In the year 1992 and manufactured by
Ormco.
 It has got unique mechanical properties with
a highly aesthetic appearance made of clear
optical fiber.

 It comprises of 3 layers.
 A) A silicon dioxide core that provides the
force for moving tooth.
 B) A silicon resin middle layer that protects
the core form moisture and adds strength.
 C) A strain resistant nylon outer layer that
prevents damage to the wire and further
increases strength

 1) It the most aesthetic orthodontic archwire.
 2) It is completely stain resistant, and will not
stain or loose its clear look even after several
weeks in mouth.
 3) Its effective in moving teeth using light
continuous force

 4) it isVery flexible ,
 5) has an extremely wide range of actions,
 6) when indicated it can be tied with
electrometric ligatures to severely malaligned
teeth without fear of fracturing the arch wire.
7) Due to superior properties optiflex can be
used with any bracket system

PRECAUTIONS
 1) Optiflex archwires should be tied into
brackets with elastomeric ligatures. Metal
ligatures should never be used since they will
fracture the glass core.
 2) Sharp bends similar to those placed in a
metal wire should never be attempted with
optiflex, as these bends will immediately
fracture the glass core.

 3) Using instruments with sharp edges, like
the scaler etc should be avoided instead a
gentle finger pressure is used to insert the
archwire into the slot.
 4)To cut the end of the archwire distal to the
molar, it is recommended to the use the mini
distal end cutter which is designed to cut all 3
layer’s of optiflex

 1) It is used in adult patients who wish that
their braces not be really visible for reasons
related to personal concern’s or professional
consideration.
 2) Can be used as initial archwire in cases with
moderate amounts of crowding in one or
both arches.

 3) ideal for non extraction cases and also
cases with no partially edentulous areas
 4) Optiflex can be used in presurgical stage in
cases which require orthognathic
intervention as a part of the treatment.
Optiflex is available in a pack of ten 6 inch
straight length wires of .017” and .021” sizes

FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRES
 References:
 1. Zufall SW, Kusy R P. Sliding mechanics of coated compo-site
wires and the development of an engineering model for
binding. Angle Orthod 2000; 70: 34- 47.
 2. Burstone C.J., Kuhlberg A.J. Fiber-reinforced composites in
orthodontics. JCO 2000; 36: 271-9. 3. Fiber Reinforced
Composite Arch-Wires in Orthodontics:Function Meets

 Excellent combination of high elastic
recovery, high tensile strength and low
weight.
 Excellent formability
 Allow for tailoring of flexural and torsional
properties.
 Excellent aesthetics because of their
translucency.
 Ability to form wires of different stiffness
values for the same cross-section.

 This would facilitate the practice of Constant
Cross-section Orthodontics.
 Ability to directly bond attachments to these
wires,
 Eliminating the need for soldering and
electrical resistance welding
 Such wires can also be directly bonded to
teeth, obviating the need for brackets (i.e.
When anchorage from a large number of
teeth is required)

 Recent Reports on Fiber Reinforced Composite
Archwires
 Recent modification (Reports by Zufall, Kennedy
and Kusy, Angle Orthod 2000; 70: 34-47)They
compared the frictional characteristics of
composite archwires against stainless steel and
ceramic bracketsThey found composite
archwires had higher kinetic coefficients of
friction than stainless steel but lower than nickel-
Titanium or beta titanium.

 They also noted abrasive wear of composite
at high forces.
 Which lead to release of glass fiber within the
oral cavity
 This then lead them to test the use of coating
material i.e. Poly(chloro-p-xylylele) and also
an addition of 10 micron thick layer of
parylene

 This material when coated proved to be
Wear resistant
 Low in friction
 Eliminated the abrasive wear &
 Consequent release of glass fiber from the
wire
 Thus judged to improve the clinical
acceptability of the composite wires

 According to Zufall and Kusy study,(Angle
Orthod 2000; 70: 34- 47) :
 The composite archwire retained sufficient
resilience to function during initial stage of
orthodontic treatment and also
 During intermediate stages of orthodontic
treatment

 According to Burstone and Kuhlberg (JCO 2000;
36: 271-9.):
 Described that a new fiber reinforced composite
called "Splint-It" which incorporates S2 glass
fibers in a bis GMA matrix
 This is available in various configurations such as
rope, woven strip and unidirectional strip
 These materials are only partly polymerized
during manufacture (pre-pregs), which makes
them flexible, adaptable and easily contourable
over the teeth.

 Later they are completely polymerized and can
be bonded directly to teeth.
 It can also be used for various purposes such as
 post treatment retention,
 • as full arches or sectional arches, and
 • to reinforce anchorage by joining teeth
together.
 A particular advantage is that due to direct
bondability to teeth, they can obviate the need
for brackets in specific situations

COMPARISION
TITANIUM-
NIOBIUM
• high
formability
• low spring
back
• FINISHING
BENDS
TIMILIUM-
TITANIUM
• Nickel fee
• Easier to
bend
• Smoother
for reduced
friction
• In all phases
of treatment
SUPER CABLE
• A light,
continuous
level of force
• Flexibility
and ease of
engagement
regardless of
crowding

COMPARISON
BIOFORCE
ARCHWIRE
• It was possible to
produce variation
in force delivery
between archwires
of identical
dimension by
specifying
transition
temperatures
within given ranges
OPTIFLEX
• non metallic
• made of clear
optical fiber.
• stain resistant.
• light continuous
force
• isVery flexible ,
• an extremely wide
range of actions
FIBER REINFORCED
COMPOSITE
• can also be directly
bonded to teeth,
obviating the need
for brackets
• high elastic
recovery, high
tensile strength
and low weight.
• Excellent
formability

CONCLUSION
 “Fiber reinforced composites are regarded as
the last great frontier of orthodontic
materials”. (Kusy RP.. Am J Orthod
Dentofacial Orthop. 1998; 113:91-95)
 Due to their excellent aesthetics and
strength, as well as the ability to customize
their properties to the needs of the
orthodontist,
 They are expected to replace metals in
orthodontics in the near future.

REFERENCES
 William R. Proffit -Contemporary Orthodontics, 5th
edition, Mosby Company, 2012
 2. GraberThomas M., .Vanarsdall. Jr. Robert L. –
Orthodontics,Current Principles and techniques
 3.Titanium-niobium, a new finishing wire alloy. By
Michel dalstra, Gabriella denes, birte melsen Clin
orthod res. 2000 feb;3(1):6-14
 4. A comparative evaluation of metallurgical
properties of stainless steel and tma wires with
Tiolium and titanium niobium archwires by r devaki
vijayalakshmi,ks nagachandran, pradeep kummi, p
jayakumar (indian j dent res,20(4),2009

archwires by r devaki vijayalakshmi,ks nagachandran, pradeep
kummi, p jayakumar (indian j dent res,20(4),2009
 6. Mechanical Properties and SurfaceCharacteristics ofThree
ArchwireVinod Krishnan, MDSa; K. Jyothindra Kumar, MDS, M.
Orth RCS, MDO RCPS, FDS RCS Alloys (Angle Orthod
2004;74:825–.)
 7. Supercable and the SPEED system by Berger J, Byloff FK,
WaramT j clin orthod 1998Apr;32(4):246-53
 8. Alignment efficiency of superelastic coaxial nickel-titanium vs
superelastic single-stranded nickel-titanium in relieving
mandibular anterior crowding A randomized controlled
prospective study by Biju Sebastiana (Angle Orthod.
2012;82:703–708.)

 9. Combination anchorage technique: an update
of current mechanics byThompson WJ. Am
 11. Dual-Flex Archwires by JAMES L. CANNON,
DDS, MS JCOVOLUME 18 : NUMBER 09 : PAGES
(648-649) 1984
 12.Effect of coating on properties of esthetic
orthodontic nickel-titanium wires by Masahiro
Iijimaa;Takeshi Mugurumab; William A.
Brantleyc; Han-Cheol Choed; Angle
Orthodontist,Vol 82, No 2, 2012

 13.Talass M E .Optiflex archwire treatment of a skeletal
Class HI open bite. J Clin Orthod 1992; 26: 245-52.
 14. Effect of coating on properties of esthetic orthodontic
nickel-titanium wires by Masahiro Iijimaa;Takeshi
Mugurumab;WilliamA. Brantleyc; Han-Cheol Choed;Angle
Orthodontist,Vol 82, No 2, 2012
 15. Zufall S W, Kusy R P. Sliding mechanics of coated
compo-site wires and the development of an engineering
model for binding. Angle Orthod 2000; 70: 34-47. 16.
Burstone C.J., Kuhlberg A.J. Fiber-reinforced composites in
orthodontics. JCO 2000; 36: 271-9. 17. Fiber Reinforced
CompositeArch-Wires in Orthodontics:Function Meets
Esthetics by AshimaValiathan and Siddhartha Dhar

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