WIRES IN ORTHODONTICS

Department Of Orthodontics
Sapporo Dental College and Hospital

Presented By:
Dr. Arup Ratan Biswas.
IS: 29
Introduction
The aim of orthodontic treatment is to move the teeth to
a targeted position by the application of forces to them.
An ideal force through the wire is the one that produces rapid tooth
movement without damage to the teeth or periodontal
tissues.
The wide range of orthodontic wires available in the market can
raise doubts about the best choice for different clinical situations.
The evolution of wire manufacturing technology and the
development of new orthodontic techniques have led to the search
for better quality alloys, more biologically effective for the teeth
and supporting tissues.
History of Orthodontic Wires

Until 1930: orthodontic wires were made of GOLD.

1930: Advent of stainless steel & refinement in drawing
process to form wires with improved properties, GOLD lost
its ground. Stainless steel was perfected for the orthodontic
use by Bresrley and Sheffield of U.S
By 1950: Almost 300 different series of S/S alloys were
used in the field of orthodontics.
Chromium 17-25%
Nickel 8-25% with a balance being iron
Ideal requirements of orthodontic wires:
Biologically: it should be nontoxic.
Chemically: it should be resistant to corrosion and tarnish.
Mechanically: Modulus of elasticity should be high.
Formability should be high so as to bend the wire into desired configuration
without fracture.
Spring back should be high which results in an increase in its range of action.
Stiffness should be lower.
Resilience should be high.
It should be soldered or welded.
Ductility should be sufficient to allow fabrication of appliance.
Should provide least friction at bracket wire interface. Otherwise it leads to
undue strain, which limits the tooth movement.
Types of Orthodontic Wires
Stainless Steel (SS) Wires
Cobalt-chromium wires
Beta-titanium wires
Nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) wires

Esthetic wires
Fiber-reinforced composite arch wires
Teflon coated stainless steel arch wires
Bioforce wires
Marsenol
Lee White wire
Stainless Steel (SS) Wires
Have been used for decades due to their high strength. In addition, stainless steel
wires do not rust and can be adjusted many different ways by the orthodontist
without breaking. However, stainless steel wires are not very elastic, meaning that if
you bend these wires too much, they will assume the new position and will not return
to their original position.

Composition
Chromium (11-26%) improves the corrosion resistance
Nickel (0-22%) austenitic stabilizer
Copper, manganese and nitrogen similar to the amount of nickel added to the alloy
Carbon (0.08-1.2%) provides strength
Silicon (low concentrations) improves the resistance to oxidation and carburization
at high temperatures.
Sulfur (0.015%) increases ease of machining
Phosphorous allows sintering at lower temperatures.
3 major types are present:-
- Ferretic SS
- Martensitic SS
- Austenitic SS

Ferritic stainless steel:

- Provides good corrosion resistance.
- Low cost.
- Has less strength.
- Not hardenable by heat treatment.
- Not readily work hardenable. Hence, finds little
application in dentistry.
Martensitic stainless steel:
High strength.
Can be heat treated.
Decrease corrosion resistance.
Decrease ductility. Hence used for surgical & cutting instrument.

Austenitic stainless steel:

Most corrosion resistant of the stainless steel.
Austenitic stainless steel is preferable to the ferritic alloys because of:
Greater ductility & ability to undergo more cold work without breaking.
Substantial strengthening during cold working.
Greater ease of welding.
Ability to fairly readily overcome sensitization
Comparative ease in forming.
Disadvantage is it annealing temperature so low fusing silver solder should be used.
Applications
Component Wire
Adams clasp 0.7mm stainless steel
Labial bow 0.7mm hard round stainless steel
wire.
Robert`s retractor 0.5mm stainless steel wire
High labial bow with apron springs Heavy wire bow of 0.9mm thickness
and apron spring made of 0.4mm SS
wire.
Palatal finger springs 0.5 mm or 0.6 mm hard round
stainless steel wire.
Z spring 0.5mm stainless steel wire
T spring 0.5 mm stainless steel wire
Coffin spring 1.2mm stainless steel wire
U loop canine retractor 0.6mm or 0.7mm stainless steel wire
Helical canine retractor 0.6mm stainless steel wire
Cobalt-chromium wires
Cobalt chromium nickel (elgiloy) has the advantage that it can be hardened by heat
treatment after being formed.

Various tempers
1. Red hard & resilient
2. Green semi-resilient
3. Yellow slightly less formable but ductile
4. Blue soft & formable

.Composition

a) Chromium 15-22%
b) Nickel for strength and ductility
c) Iron, molybdenum, tungsten and titanium to form stable carbides and enhance
hardness.
d) Cobalt 40-45%
Beta-titanium wires
In 1960 a high temperature of titanium alloy which above 1625 F
rearranges into a body centered cubic lattice ,referred to as the beta
phase, with the addition of elements as molybdenum was developed. Also
called as TMA (titanium molybdenum alloy) wires

Mechanical properties:
- Low modulus of elasticity
- Modulus of elasticity is twice that nitinol & less than half that of stainless
steel.
- Greater spring back.
- Good corrosion resistance.
- Heat treatment is not recommended.
- As it is ductile hence loops & bends can be given
Nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) wires
Nitinol was introduced to the orthodontic community by Andersan in
1971.
They are elastic and can return to their original shape when
deformed. Therefore, in the beginning stages of orthodontic
treatment, Ni-Ti wires are frequently used to put gentle forces on the
crooked teeth to align them.
A variation of Ni-Ti wires are:
Heat-activated Ni-Ti (Copper Ni-Ti) wires, which can hold the
deformed configuration at room temperate, but when the wire
reaches the temperature of a patients mouth, the wire will return to
its original shape.
The warm wire will want to assume its original U-shape and carry the
teeth to their new, straighter positions.
 ESTHETIC WIRES
Fiber-reinforced composite arch wires:
This have been used arch wires for more than a decade. These
materials have got many advantages over the conventional metallic
alloys as they are:
- Highly esthetic,
- biocompatible.
- Hydrolytic stability,
. Less water sorption
. Stiffness is same as metallic wires,
. Post processing formability and
. Sliding mechanics are good.
. However, there is a chance of wearing of these arch wires at the
interface, chances of leaching of glass fibers within the oral cavity.
Teflon coated stainless steel arch wires
Teflon is coated on stainless steel wire by an atomic
process that forms a layer of about 20-25m thickness on
the wire that imparts to the wire a hue which is similar to
that of natural.
Teflon coating protects the underlying wire from the
corrosion process.
However, corrosion of the underlying wire is likely to take
place if it is used for longer period in the oral cavity since
this coating is subject to flaws that may occur during
clinical use.
Bioforce wires
BioForce is aesthetic and is part of the first and only
family of biologically correct archwires, which were
introduced by GAC.
The Ni-Ti Bioforce wires apply low, gentle forces to the
anterior teeth and increasingly stronger forces across the
posterior teeth until plateauing at the molars.
The level of force applied is graded throughout the arch
length according to tooth size.
Optiflex
Optiflex is a most aesthetic orthodontic arch wire designed by dr. Talass.
It has highly aesthetic appearance as it is made of clear optical fiber, which
comprises of 3 layers:
1. Inner core is silicon dioxide core,
2. Middle layer is made with silicon resin and
3. The outer layer is nylon layer.
.Core provides the force for moving tooth,
.Middle layer protects the core from moisture &
also provides strength.
.The outer layer prevents damage to the wire and
also further increases the strength.
.Optiflex is very flexible and is effective in moving teeth using light
continuous force.
Marsenol:
Marsenol is a tooth coloured elastomeric poly tetra
fluroethyl emulsion (ETE) coated nickel titanium wire.
The working characteristics of these wire are similar to an
uncoated super elastic Nickel titanium wire.

Lee White wire:

It is a resistant stainless steel or Nickel titanium arch wire
bonded to a tooth colored epoxy coating. The epoxy coating
which is completely opaque does not chip, peel, scratch or
discolour.
References:

Orthodonticwires: knowledge ensures clinical

optimization: http://bit.ly/2lX6Idy

AnOverview of Orthodontic Wires:

http://bit.ly/2ljdWW1
THANK YOU