This document discusses various types of orthodontic archwires. It begins by introducing orthodontic archwires and their purpose in generating forces to move teeth. It then describes several specific archwire materials: titanium niobium wire, which is soft and easy to form while maintaining strength; timolium titanium wire, which combines properties of nickel titanium and stainless steel; super cable, a superelastic nickel titanium coaxial wire; combined archwires that allow for tipping and translation; bioforce wire, which applies varying forces along the dental arch; and optiflex wire, a non-metallic wire made of clear optical fibers. Each wire type is discussed in terms of its properties, applications, advantages,

1. PRESENTED BY
Dr. Ajinkya A Patel
Pg Student
Dept of ORTHODONTICS

2. INTRODUCTION
ORTHODONTIC ARCH WIRE :
“Generate the biomechanical forces
transmitted through the brackets to effect tooth
movement”

3. Factors to be considered
 Amount of force  Need to weld or solder
required
 Corrosion resistance
 Stiffness
 Biocompatibility
 Strength
 Aesthetics
 Elastic working range
or spring back  Frictional resistance
 Ease of manipulation  Load deflection rate
or formability

4. Purpose of Archwires
1. Exert the force to move the teeth
2. Maintain the arch form
3. Acts as a track along which the teeth move
4. Provides a pattern for the shape of the arch
5. joins the brackets together from the distal of one side to
the distal of the other
6. Exerts force by being engaged in archwire slot

6. ARCHWIRES
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

7. 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
with Tiolium and titanium niobium archwires by r devaki vijayalakshmi,ks
nagachandran, pradeep kummi, p jayakumar (indian j dent res,20(4),2009

8. Titanium Niobium Wire
 It was introduced in early 1995 by DR ROHIT SACHDEVA &
Manufactured by Ormco
PROPERTIES:
 Ti- nb is soft and easy to form, yet it has the same working range
of stainless steel.
 Its stiffness is 20% lower than TMA and 70% lower than stainless steel.
 Ti-nb wire have a larger plastic range, similar activation and
deactivation curves and relatively low spring back.

9. TITANIUM NIOBIUM WIRE
 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.

10. TITANIUM NIOBIUM WIRE
Clinical applications
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).

11. References:
1. 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
2. Mechanical Properties and Surface Characteristics of Three Archwire Vinod
Krishnan, MDSa; K. Jyothindra Kumar, MDS, M. Orth RCS, MDO RCPS, FDS
RCS Alloys (Angle Orthod 2004;74:825–831.)

12. TIMOLIUM TITANIUM WIRE
It is manufactured by TP ORTHODONTICS
Timolium archwires combines
The 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,

13. TIMOLIUM TITANIUM WIRE
 Nickel free for sensitive patients,
 Easier to bend and shape,
 Can be welded
 Loops and bends can be made without breakage

14. TIMOLIUM TITANIUM WIRE
Clinical application
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 makes Timolium the wire of
choice

15. References:
1. Supercable and the SPEED system by Berger J, Byloff FK, Waram T j clin
orthod 1998 Apr;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.

16. 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.

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

18. SUPER CABLE
 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.

19. SUPER CABLE
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.

20. References:
1. Combination anchorage technique: an update of current mechanics by
Thompson WJ. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 1988 May;93(5):363-79.
2. Dual-Flex Archwires by JAMES L. CANNON, DDS, MS JCO VOLUME 18 :
NUMBER 09 : PAGES (648-649) 1984

21. Combined wires
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).

22. COMBINED WIRES
The Dual Flex-1
 it consists of a anterior section made of 0.016-inch
round Titanal 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.

23. COMBINED WIRES
 The Dual Flex-2
 it consists of a flexible anterior segment composed of
an 0.016 ´ 0.022-inch rectangular Titanal and a rigid
posterior segment of round 0.018-inch steel.

24. COMBINED WIRES
The Dual Flex-3,
This however, consists of a flexible anterior part of an
0.017 ´ 0.025-inch Titanal 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.

25. 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

26. BIOFORCE WIRE
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

27. BIOFORCE WIRE
 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.

28. BIOFORCE WIRE
 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

29. BIOFORCE WIRE
Clinical applications:
 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.

30. BIOFORCE WIRE
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.
These are an good reason to give an bioforce arch wire as
the undesirable effects of the applied force-producing
mechanisms will be minimized.

31. 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

32. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
 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.

33. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
 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

34. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
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

35. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
4) it is Very 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

36. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
Precaution’s while using optiflex archwires
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.

37. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
Precaution’s while using optiflex archwires
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.

38. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
clinical applications
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.

39. OPTIFLEX ARCHWIRE
Clinical applications
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

40. References:
1. 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.
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

41. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
 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.

42. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
 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)

43. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
 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 brackets
They found composite archwires had higher kinetic
coefficients of friction than stainless steel but lower than
nickel-Titanium or beta titanium.

44. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
 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

45. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
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

46. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
Clinical application
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

47. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
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.

48. FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE
ARCHWIRE
 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

50. 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.

51. REFERENCES:
1. William R. Proffit -Contemporary Orthodontics, 5th edition, Mosby Company, 2012
2. Graber Thomas 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
5. 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
6. Mechanical Properties and Surface Characteristics of Three Archwire Vinod
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, Waram T j clin orthod 1998
Apr;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.)

52. REFERENCES:
11. Dual-Flex Archwires by JAMES L. CANNON, DDS, MS JCO VOLUME 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; William A. 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 Composite Arch-Wires in Orthodontics:Function Meets
Esthetics by Ashima Valiathan and Siddhartha Dhar