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Proper buccolingual inclination of anterior and posterior teeth is essential to provide better
esthetic, stability and functional occlusal relationship. With Edgewise appliance Torque or
buccolingual inclination was achieved by third order bends placed in arch wire. With Begg
appliance inclination was achieved with auxiliaries. But today, majority of orthodontic brackets
are pretorqued,it doesn’t mean there is no need to give third order bend in the arch wire.. In
reality many factors affects the torque expression. It may be biological factors or mechanical
factors. Moreover if the orthodontist does not have an understanding of torque, many adverse
tooth movements will result, making orthodontic treatment more difficult and treatment results
less desirable
“Torque is the force that enable the orthodontist to control the axial
inclination of the teeth and to place them in the harmonizing positions that are so desirable
for a nicely finished results. Torque is the force that gives the operator control over the
Torque is a force that assists him to bring about a desirable change of point A &
B which in turn helps to bring about desirable facial changes in his patients.
occlusal plane and a line tangent to the middle of the labial or buccal clinical crown.
A Positive value or plus denotes the gingival portion of the tangent line (or of the crown) is
A Negative or minus denotes the gingival portion of the tangent line (or of the crown) is
CROWN INCLINATION
Andrews Six Keys to Optimal Occlusion on 120 Non Orthodontic study models showed
-inclinations of maxillary incisors are positive;canines,premolars are negative and molars are
The inclinations of mandibular crowns are progressively more negative from incisors
couple when interacted with a bracket slot, which is the result of twist in the wire
2. Torque is not “in the wire”. Torque is not the angle of the bracket slot. Torque is not the
axial inclination of the tooth. These are common orthodontic misuses of the term.
3. Torque applied to a tooth created by torsion in the arch wire against the bracket slot
Why ?
To avoid relapse
How ?
In a Rectangular wire, torque is incorporated by using a permanent twist in the arch wire; where
as in a Round wire, torquing auxiliaries are used to deliver third order couples to the anterior
teeth.
The amount of torsional activation achieved upon complete appliance engagement is however
actually less than this permanent twist angle. The principal portion of difference is the third
order clearance between the arch wire and the bracket slot. This clearance may be computed
from the actual cross section of the arch wire and occlusogingival bracket slot width. The third
order clearance depends upon the actual wire in the slot dimensions and in effect, upon stiffness
In response to the third order activation, the slot will open slightly as the wire attempts to
deactivate.
BRACKET
SLOTS
Pre Torque Brackets are sized, in part according to the third order angulation of their slots with
To quantify torque correctly the combination shaft stiffness and twist activation are necessary.
To compare third order couple generated by the rectangular arch wire and the
torquing span, the difference and the direction of the pairs of forces and the moment arms should
be noted.
The force exerted by the rectangular arch wire are directed nearly
occlusogingivally whereas the force pair from the torquing spur acts labiolingually. The
difference in the direction meaning less with respects to the action delivered to the dentition
Sagittal views of Maxillary incisors
The inheritant moment arms of the rectangular wire and the spur, couples are the
labiolingual wire cross section and occlusogingival height of the spur respectively.
They differ approximately in one order of magnitude i.e. the factor of ten. Hence
if the size of each force generator by the spur is about 1/10 that off each force of the pair
generated within the bracket. So the results approximately equal third order couples applied by
two appliances.
The Begg torquing auxiliary is usually formed in 0.012, 0.014 or 0.016 stainless
steel wire. The purpose of the base arch wire is to counter the extrusive potential associated with
activation of auxiliary.
Square or rectangular arch wires are fabricated from round wires by a process of
rolling rather than drawing. The round wire is passed through a device called a Turks head which
is a set of two rollers positioned 900 to each other and rolled to the desired dimensions. The
edges of the wire remain rounded after rolling process, resulting in edge bevel. The edge bevel is
expected to be a critical factor for actual torque expressed by a specific square or a rectangular
arch wire and bracket combination. Since the edges of the arch wire is first engaged the bracket
Largest edge bevels are observed on beta titanium segments due to the mechanical
and wire properties of this alloy. The amount of edge bevel on the wire will influence the
amount of torque exhibited by the wire bracket combination for a rectangular wire in a
rectangular molar tube, the critical value of the wire dimension is the diagonal or hypotenuse of
It is this dimension that contacts the wall of the lumen and engages the wire
against further rotation. This with the variation in the tube dimension causes deviation in torque
clinically. This deviation in torque may differ significantly enough to require diverse torque on
BEGGS MECHANOTHERAPY :
The torquing in BEGG is testimonial to the genius Dr.BEGG, both with regards
to its concept and the designs. The special feature of BEGG appliance in separating the tooth
moving forces from the arch wire forces gives at a unique advantage. Various torquing
2. Reverse torquing auxiliary for controlling the roots of the canine or premolar by
1. The auxiliary bent into a small circle, when fixed in the mouth, is spread out along the
wider anterior curvature of the arch wire. The lingual torquing effect is an account of two
factors.
a. Firstly, the vertical plane in which the torquing auxiliary orients when fitted on
two central incisors, is changed to a horizontal plane of arch wire when fully tied to it.
Both the effects, force the tips of the spurs to press in a lingual direction against
the gingival portion of the crown. Reciprocally the inter spur spans of the auxiliary tend to lift
away in the labial direction. THUS A FORCE COUPLE IS CREATED. The labial forces are
resisted by the bracket slots and the base arch wire to which the auxiliary is tied. Thus
1. The Auxiliary should be constructed in 0.012 premium plus wire (preferable pulse
straightened) unlike in 0.014 or 0.016 special plus wire which were previously used.
2. The length of the spur does affect the force produced. A short spur will produce much
greater force that will drop rapidly when the teeth start getting torqued, as against a longer spur
The length of the spur should be kept at about 5 mm; but it should be varied
depending on the clinical crown height, leaving it about 1 mm short of the gum to facilitate
proper hygiene
4. The distal leg of every spur is kept slightly shorter by about 0.5 mm, so
that the distal leg does not project incisally to the main arch wire on tying
Two of the modification commonly required in the spur design torquing auxiliary
are as follows.
a. Reverse labial torque on one or both the lateral incisors : Boxes at right
angle to the plane of the spurs are made to lie at the incisal area of the lateral incisor(s).
Crossover bends are made on either side of the lateral incisor bracket to permit the auxiliary to
pass over the base wire, similar to the bends described in the section on the MAA
Torquing boxes on the canines for lingual root torque : Instead of making spurs
for the canines, boxes can be provided. The ends of this auxiliary need not extend beyond the
canine area
MAA auxiliary was developed by Dr. MOLLENHAUER and it was given the
name as “An Aligning Auxiliary for Ribbon Arch Brackets”. The MAA, attempts root control
from the very beginning, of the treatment without significantly affecting the anchorage and
overbite correction. This has become possible by using a combination of a stiff base arch wire
made from 0.018” Premium plus, and ultra light root moving forces from the MAA made from
1. It must generate very light root moving forces. Therefore, the wire size must
2. For the same reason, when reciprocal torque is required on adjacent teeth, the
3. At the same time, the auxiliary must be able to resist deformation. Hence, it
must be made in a highly resilient wire viz. Supreme grade (preferable pulse straightened)
4. The base wire should be able to resist the vertical and transverse reactive forces from the
5. In Mollenhauer’s application, the MAA is always engaged first and the main wire is engaged
piggyback. The rectangles for lingual root torque lift away from the tooth surface, which are
held down with the help of pins, thus indirectly transmitting the torquing action through the pins
Therefore, he recommends the thickest possible lock or hook pins (such as the pins for
Ceramaflex brackets)
anterior teeth,
3. Stable results.
5. Periodontal advantages in such cases, because the gingival dehiscence associated with
prolonged labial root torquing of such teeth during the 3rd stage is eliminated.
6. A short stage III, because the early root control minimizes (uncontrolled) root tipping in the
opposite direction
1. Originally, the MAA was introduced for bodily alignment of crowded teeth. The looped
arch wire like effect (expansion + de rotation + vertical leveling) was combined with lingual
2. By bending more positive torque into the MAA, it can be used after the stage I as a
braking mechanism.
Mollenhauer strongly recommends applying labial root torque on the lower incisors in
growing brachyfacial cases, to prevent their roots from lingualizing (which can happen due to
intrusive forces and due to contraction of trans-septal fibers in extraction cases). This helps in a
better profile control. The MAA can be used for labial root torque on the upper incisors in Class
III cases
3. In later writings, Mollenhauer described use of the same auxiliary for controlling the
mesio-distal root positions from the beginning. He called this application ‘MAA-tip. A ligature
wire tied to the auxiliary and to the pin transfers the tipping effect to the tooth.
Mini versions of MAA ranging from 0.009” to 0.012” and curvatures facing
incisally facing incisally or gingivally, for labial or lingual root control respectively. They are
employed on two or more number of anterior teeth in either or both the arches. The force exerted
by the boxes is varied, as per the individual requirement, by varying the diameter of the wire
from which the auxiliary is made, size of the boxes and acuteness of the curvature.
Obviously, the auxiliaries generating lighter forces are employed in the first and
second stages of treatment, while those generating higher forces are meant for the third stage and
a. Two boxes on the upper central incisors for lingual root torque after the teeth are
aligned
b. Two boxes on the in standing upper or lower lateral incisors for labial root torque.
‘Jenner’ auxiliary two boxes on the upper or lower canines with very prominent
roots. That is made up of 0.012” wire. Lingual root torque exerted by the boxes reduces the
adjacent teeth require root torque in opposite directions. One such example is an in standing
lateral incisor needing labial root torque and the adjacent canine needing lingual root torque. This
auxiliary is made of lighter 0.009 or 0.010 could be used for controlling the root movements
If needed in stage three it should be made of 0.012.The box on the tooth requiring
labial root torque is placed incisal to main wire, while the box on the other tooth requiring
lingual root torque sits piggyback on the main wire .hence a crossover bend is required between
the two adjacent teeth because the auxiliary has to cross over the main wire.varying the
angulation between the planes of two boxes can control the force generated by the auxiliary
a. Single root torquing auxiliary proposed by Dr.Kesling’. This is a very useful design for
any tooth (excepting the molars) requiring torque in the labial or the lingual direction. It is
eliminate the cuspal interference from its hanging palatal cusp. It is convenient to place the long
arm of the auxiliary piggy back over the main arch wire. Since the main arch wire may not be
untied it could also lie occlusal to the base arch wire in the slot as well. The long arm should
The long arm always faces mesially for the premolar teeth. Depending on
how the curvature is pointing before the auxiliary is tied, the torque generated will have lingual
For example, the auxiliary fitted with its convexity facing upwards will have a
buccal root torquing effect on the upper premolars, but the effect will be for lingual root torque
on the lowers, and vice-versa. The effect is transmitted by the vertical extension of the auxiliary
through the bracket pillar onto the tooth; The long arm could face either mesially or distally on
the anterior teeth, and action will depend on how the curvature of the long arm relates to the base
arch wire. This auxiliary is made up of 0.012 size Premium Plus wire. The force generated by it
can be varied by changing acuity of the curvature. More acute greater is the force generated.
b. Reverse torquing auxiliary for controlling the roots of canines or premolars proposed by
Dr.Franciskus Tan - It was described for the labial root movement of a palatally impacted
maxillary canine, whose crown has been aligned but the root is still placed palatally and needs
labial root torque. If required for lingual root torque in other situations it is simply inverted well
on the premolars made up of 0.012” P+ wire conjunction with a 0.018” or 0.020” inserted in the
molar tube from the distal end. An offset is placed in the auxiliary to bypass the main wire
c. Buccal root torque on the molars – When the upper molar crowns roll buccally because of a
lack of control during the third stage, their roots must be torqued buccally to lift their palatal
hanging cusps. It is made in 0.014” size and is fitted in the round molar tubes alongside the main
arch wire. It has ‘boot’ design occlusal extensions on the molars, and it is inserted from the
mesial end of the molar tubes. The boot portion is twisted lingually and given a toe in, and the
whole auxiliary is suitable contracted. The auxiliary need not be engaged in other brackets.
d. Labial root torque only on the lateral incisors – This is made up of 0.012” size wire, and is
placed with the convexity of the auxiliary facing gingivally. The auxiliary is engaged first in the
incisor brackets, and the main wire is then engaged piggyback. The boxes extend labially on the
incisal area of the crowns. This design is often required on the lower incisors in those cases
where the central incisors and the canines are placed normally, and hence do not require
auxiliary can be opened or closed as needed to assume accurate fit. The distal ends of the
auxiliary is tied to the lower cuspid bracket. The vertical loops are slipped behind the main arch
wire and the auxiliary is tided to one or two brackets to prevent dislodgement. It is very easy to
insert and remove. This is used for the reverse torquing of the mandibular incisors.
f. Kitchton torquing auxiliary - It is used for applying torque force on the anterior teeth.
Kitchton auxiliary can be used with Begg, edgewise and removable appliances. It is made up of
0.016 Australian wire. Coils in the midline assume gentle, and continuous torque force and also
It is of two types :
1) Small 2) Large
* Small auxiliary delivers gentle lingual root torque to the central incisors only. It can be used
Large auxiliary can deliver greater force to the central incisor and can be adjusted
to deliver torquing force to the central and lateral incisors. It an also be used with Hawley
Mouse trap
Mouse trap design is very efficient but involves more time patience and skill
EDGEWISE MACHANOTHERAPY
ANGLE and was introduced to the profession by one of his last students, Dr.ALLAN G.
BROADIE in 1929. It is an exacting appliance requiring the thorough understanding and skill
manipulation. This technique offers excellent controls in the labiolingual, mesiodistal and
vertical dimension
dentition
Torque force is named according to the action upon the tooth crown.
It is defined as the difference in inclination of the facial plane of crown at its mid
buccolingual or labiolingual root and crown movements in a single tooth or a group of teeth
TECHNIQUE FOR GIVING A THIRD ORDER BEND FOR VARIOUS THIRD ORDER
MOVEMENTS
Until the mid 1970’s most fixed appliance therapy was carried out using the
standard Edgewise bracket, either in a single or twin form having a 90 0 bracket base and brackets
slot angulation.
The short comings of the bracket system and the extreme skill required of the orthodontists
resulted in many under treated cases and the results are appeared artificial
Molars were not in true CL-I relationship. Upper incisor are under torqued . So
the resulting occlusion had the appearance of a ‘nice orthodontic result’ rather that a pleasing
natural dentition. And also the long term stability of tooth adjustment was compromised by
appliance which became widely available in the mid 1970’s. It was hailed by the clinician’s as a
radical step forward offering the dual advantages of less wire bending, coupled with an improved
Vs.
Torque-in-base was an important issue with the first and second generation pre
adjusted brackets, because level slot line-up was not possible with brackets designed with torque-
in-face. Torque in the base is said by Andrews to be a prerequisite for a fully programmed
appliance – that is, one that produces acceptable results without arch wire bends, assuming the
Albert H.Owen in 1980 conducted a study comparing Roth Prescription and the
Vari Simplex Discipline appliance of Alexander concluded that while torque in the base had a
sound theoretical basis, its effectiveness is greatly influenced by the clinician’s success in
The torque in the base means that the bracket stem is parallel and
coincides with the long axis of the bracket slot. But, with the brackets having torque in the face
the slot is cut at an angle to the bracket stem, therefore their long axis do not coincide and are not
When the center of the bracket base is placed on FA point the long axis of
the bracket stem and bracket slot both are parallel to and are in line with Andrew’s plane. But
undesirable effects of having torque in face are in-built errors in finale vertical positioning. The
absolute magnitude of vertical displacement will depend upon the torque angle, its direction
(occlusal or gingival) and of course its effect will be reversed if the torque is also reversed. The
only site however at which the torque direction changes completely in the standard straight wire
prescription is between lateral incisor (torque = +30) and canine (torque= -70)
Ferguson concluded that the advantages of the torque in base are largely
theoretical, but it should be kept in mind that there are other advantages. One such advantage is
that the wings of the brackets with torque in the face could bend under various forces
or 00 torque.
Note : Reversion of Bracket will reverse the torque prescription of the bracket but the tip
What is play ?
decreases
But generally there is some play between the bracket and arch wire even if the slot is filled with
Because the dimension of the wire will be slightly smaller than the label dimension and slot
Various types of torquing springs are used to bring about root movement or
torquing. Normally they derive their elasticity from the twisting of a section of wire in the same
way as torque bars of high tensile steels used for suspension systems in road vehicles
B B’ : Torque bars
Apron spring derive their main flexibility from the twisting of the section and the
length of the torque bars. These torque spring are flexible, easy to construct, easily positioned
and adjusted
It is ensure that the torquing springs act exactly at points intended and do
not slide away to the unsuitable points. For this reason it is sometimes necessary to make springs
pressure in a lingual direction at the gingival margin on the incisor and preventing the lingual
In 1938 McKeag and Friel described a box attachment made up of stainless steel
to induce torque. This box was well known as “M” Ckeag Box”
CONCLUSION
Torque is probably one of the most important and potent forces of orthodontic treatment
mechanism with proper understanding and with systemic technical approach,is not difficult to
accomplish
The operator’s ability to control torque properly will mean the difference
between artistically treated case that has all esthetic beauty desired in a finished denture and an
ordinary tooth straightening accomplishment that contains very few of these desirable features