Newer Orthodontic

Arch Wires
 COLOURED TMA
Source: JCO; July 1995:Vol 29:no:7

• In the case of TMA the friction is probably due

to its relative softness compared to the harder
stainless steel bracket.

• Surface treatment can increase the hardness

and reduce the coefficient of friction.
ION IMPLANTATION

It is the process by which various elements are ionized

and accelerated towards an arch wire in a vacuum
chamber.

Gas ions (nitrogen and oxygen)are simultaneously

extracted from a plasma and accelerated in the growing
physical vapour deposition film.
 The ions penetrate the surface of wires on
impact,building up a structure that consists of both
he original wire and a layer of tin compounds(TiN
and TiO) on the surface of immediate sub surface.

 This layer is extremely hard and creates a

considerable amount of compressive forces in the
material.
ADVANTAGES
Compressive forces and increased surface hardness
improve the fatigue resistance and reduce the coefficient
of friction of the wire.

Does not alter the wire dimension thus it allows the

production of high quality wires.

Ion implantation can take place at relatively low

temperatures from sub zero to 700 degree c which allows
improvement of surface characteristics without
degradation of mechanical properties.
 Through an exclusive spi- spectrum ion beam implantation process
ORMCO has introduced TMA colours.

Colored wires produced by varying ion type and thickness.

 Colours available are Afran,Violet,Purple and
Honeydew.

 TMA colour gives patients some exciting new

looks while at the same time providing with
many clinical benefits of TMA wire.

 This ensures a colour fastness not available in

coated wire products.
 TIMOLIUM
Source: European Journal of Orthodontics; Vol 26: 2004

• Timolium wire is intermediary in properties

between beta titanium and stainless steel wires
and useful in clinical situations where a
modulus of elasticity between that of beta
titanium and stainless steel is needed.

• Delivers a more constant force over a long

period than stainless steel.
TITANIUM NIOBIUM/FA WIRE

Introduced by Rohit sachdeva in

1996.Patented by ORMCO labs.

Titanium niobium is an innovative new arch

wire designed for precision tooth to tooth
finishing.

The unique metallurgical properties of

FA(finishing arch) make it the most precise
intraoral detailing option available today.
• At 80% of the stiffness of TMA,it is perfect for holding
bends yet right enough not to oversize the arch
relationship.

• It possess a resiliency equal to that of stainless steel.

• Available in rectangular cross sections of:

.016 x .022
.017 x .025
.019 x .025
.021 x .025
 COMPOSITE WIRE
Source: Eur Jou of Ortho;22:2000

• The new orthodontic materials of recent years have

been adopted from those used in aerospace technology.

• The high performance aircraft of the 1970’s and 1980’s

were titanium based,but the current generation are
built of composite plastics,and there is every reason to
believe that orthodontic wires of this type will move
into clinical use in future.
• It is interesting that one nonmetallic wire already has
been offered for clinical use.

OPTIFLEX

Source: JCO;Vol.26:Apr 1992

• It is a new orthodontic arch wire designed by

Dr.M.F.Talass and manufactured by Ormco.
• It has got unique mechanical properties with a highly
esthetic appearance.
• It is made up of clear optical fiber,it comprises of three
layers.
A - A silicon dioxide core that provides the force for moving teeth.

B - A silicon resin middle layer that protects the core from

moisture and adds strength.

C - A stain resistant nylon outer layer that prevents damage to the wire and
further increase its strength.
• Optiflex possesses following advantages which make it
a unique archwire in terms of esthetics and mechanics
alike:

 Optiflex is the most esthetic orthodontic arch wire to

date.

 It is completely stain resistant.

 Beyond esthetics,optiflex is very effective in moving

teeth using light continuous forces.
It is very flexible and has an extremely wide range of
action.

It can be tied with elastomeric ligatures to severely

malaligned teeth without the fear of fracturing the
archwire
Disadvantages

• Metal ligatures can fracture the glass core.

• Sharp bends should never be attempted with

OPTIFLEX.These bends will immediately fracture the
core.

• Instruments with sharp edges like the scalers,directors

etc to force the wire into the bracket slot should not be
used.
 Currently a stainless steel combination wire is
also available which consists of an anterior
rectangular wire and a posterior round wire.The
rectangular wire gives better torque control.

These wires are also known as dual flex wires or

wonder wires.
 COMBINATION WIRES

DUAL FLEX ARCH WIRES/WONDER WIRES

• Introduced by James l. Cannon in 1984.

• Two alloys,stainless steel and nickel titanium wires

are joined by Casthook joint,just mesial to the
cuspids.
 DUAL FLEX 1

• Titanol is a niti alloy manufactured by Lancer pacific

0.016 stainless steel posterior segments and 0.016
titanol anterior segments.

• Advantages:

- better molar control by stiffer posterior segments.

-alignment could be done with resilient anterior

segments.
 Clinical use:

-used in phase 1 of treatment.

-any application including combination

anchorage.

-in lingual orthodontics where inter-bracket

span is minimal.
DUAL FLEX 2

• 0.018 stainless steel posterior segment and 0.016 x 0.022

titanol anterior segment as braking mechanics ( to loose
anchorage by increasing the resistance at anterior
segment )

DUAL FLEX 3

• 0.017 x 0.025 titanol anterior segment and 0.018 x

0.018 stainless steel posterior segment.
Clinical applications

• Adult patients who wish that their braces not

be really visible for reasons related to personal
concerns or professional conditions.

• Can be used as an initial wire in cases with

moderate amounts of crowding in one or both
arches.
 It should be used in cases to be treated without bicuspid
extraction.It is not the ideal arch wire for major cuspid
retraction due to its limited ability to control the distal tipping
and the labio-lingual rotation of the retracted cuspids.
 Coated composite wires
Source: Angle Orthodontist;Vol 70:2000
• An investigation of the frictional properties of composite
wires against orthodontic brackets showed that
reinforcement fibers were abrasively worn from wire
faces.

• This potential release of glass fibers in the oral cavity was

considered unacceptable and a surface coating material
was suggested as a potential alternative.
Prerequisites of coating material

• Easily applicable in thin layers

• Be wear resistant

• Should have low frictional characteristics

• Should be biocompatible and transparent

• One material that exhibits all of these properties was

poly (chloro-p-xylylene).
The friction and wear characteristics were evaluated
and the coatings were regarded as an improvement to
the clinical acceptability of composite orthodontic arch
wires.
 Esthetic wires

MARSENOL
Source:JCO,1989

Marsenol is a tooth coloured nickel titanium wire

manufactured by GLENROE technologies.

It is an ETE ( Elastomeric polytetra florethylene emulson)

coated nickel titanium.

Marsenol exhibits all the same working characteristics of

an uncoated superelastic nickel titanium wire.
• The coating adheres to the wire and remains flexible.

• The wire delivers constant force over long periods of

activation and is fracture resistant.
 LEE WHITE WIRE

SOURCE:JCO,1988
• Manufactured by LEE pharmaceuticals.

• It is a resilient stainless steel or nickel titanium wire

bonded to a tooth coloured epoxy coating.

• Suitable for use with ceramic brackets.

• The epoxy is completely opaque and does not

chip,peel,strain or discolour.
 Super cable
Source: JCO,Apr 1998

• In 1993,Hanson combined the mechanical

advantages of multi-stranded cables with the
material properties of super elastic wires to create
a super elastic nickel titanium coaxial wire.

• This wire called super cable comprises seven

individual strands that are woven together in a
long,gentle spiral to maximize flexibility and
minimize force delivery.
 Clinical use of supercable

• The most clinically significant finding was that

the .016 and .018 supercable wires were the
only ones that tested at less than 100g of
unloading force over a deflection range of 1-3
mm.

• Supercable thus demonstrates optimum

orthodontic forces for the periodontium.
 It offers the clinician the advantage of engaging a
relatively large archwire at the start of treatment.

By occupying more of the bracket slot,the .018

supercable is able to accomplish a greater degree of
uprighting,leveling,and rotational control than
other initial arch wires.
• Supercable’s unique construction and super elastic
properties permit it to be gently engaged in even the
most crowded cases without patient discomfort.

A. Placement of initial mandibular .016" Supercable archwire.

B. Segmented .016" Supercable wire, seated in auxiliary slot of
maxillary lateral and first bicuspid brackets, is flexible enough to
be fully engaged in main arch wire slot of palatally displaced
cuspid.
 Advantages
• A light continuous level of force,preventing any adverse
response of the supporting periodontium.

• Minimal patient discomfort after initial arch wire placement.

• Fewer patient visits,due to longer arch wire activation.

• Flexibility and ease of engagement regardless of crowding.

 Disadvantages

• Tendency of wire ends to fray if not cut with sharp

instruments.

• Tendency of arch wires to break and unravel in extraction

spaces or long unsupported spans unless reinforced by .030
stainless steel or plastic tubing.

• Inability to accommodate bends,steps or helices.

 Teflon coated ligatures
Source: Angle Orthodontist; No 1:1995

• Ligatures commonly used in orthodontics are either

heat treated stainless steel or Elastomeric rings.The
friction arising from a ligature depends upon its
coefficient of friction and the forces it exerts on the
bracket and arch wire.

• Both clear elastomerics and teflon coated stainless steel

ligatures are esthetically appropriate for use with
ceramic brackets.

• Since teflon has a low coefficient of friction,they may

invoke lower forces of friction than either elastomeric
or uncoated steel ligatures.
• Static frictional resistances were observed for various
combinations of brackets,arch wires,and ligatures at
four different bracket-archwire angulations.

• Overall lower friction was demonstrated with Teflon

coated stainless steel brackets when compared with
ceramic brackets.

• Use of the esthetically acceptable Teflon coated ligature

as an alternative to the clear Elastomeric ligature
appears to partly reduce the high frictional resistance
of ceramic brackets.
 Stress relaxing composite ligature wires.
Source: Angle Orthodontist, Vol 69;1999

• Currently, Elastomeric components provide some

consistency and predictability in force application.

• But the Elastomeric components assimilate odors and

colours and they experience load reductions over time.

• While these characteristics are predominantly

undesirable,the load reduction feature may be useful in
certain applications.
• A unidirectional fiber reinforced composite is one
option for a ligating device.

• Such a composite ligature would be composed of a high

strength, flexible polymeric fiber encased in a
chemically different polymeric matrix.

• A stress relaxing composite ligature was developed that

has both mechanical and esthetic characteristics.

• The neutrally colored polymer-polymer composite was

created by encasing ultra high molecular weight
poly( ethylene) fibers in a poly(n-butyl
methacrylate)polymer,which was formulated from a
polysol and an optimal benzoin ethyl-ether
concentration.
• The resulting composite ligature exhibited a tensile
strength more than twice that of dead-soft stainless
steel ligature,and a stress relaxing decay significantly
greater than stainless steel ligature.

• With these characteristics ,the material could be used

as an orthodontic ligature when tooth movement with
negligible friction due to ligation is desired.

• The featured composite could also exhibit a stress

relaxation phenomenon in which the applied load
decayed in minutes to a small fraction of its initial
value.
• This characteristic could be important to practioners in
general and to residents and novice orthodontists in
particular,who potentially use excessive force to ligate
an arch wire into a bracket.

• A stress relaxing composite ligature could help some

practioners achieve bodily tooth movement when
tipping might otherwise occur with the use of an
improperly adjusted stainless steel ligature.
 Organic polymer wire for esthetic maxillary
retainers
Source: JCO;Vol 30:May 1996

• Patients who have worn esthetic ceramic or plastic

brackets during orthodontic treatment are likely to
want esthetic retainers after treatment.

• Organic polymers are used in many orthodontic

materials today because of their esthetic qualities.
Disadvantages

• organic polymers wires generally have low elasticity

and thus they are easily deformed and do not exert
sufficient force for tooth movement and retraction.

• If the wires are made with a high modulus of

elasticity,they become brittle.

• Organic polymers also discolour because of their

tendency to absorb liquids.
• MIEKO WATANABE,SHUNSUKE
NAKATA,TADASH MORISHITA developed an
organic polymer maxillary retainer wire(QCM) made
from 1.6 mm diameter,round polyethylene
terephthalate.

• This material can be bent with a plier, but will return

to its original shape unless it is heat treated for a few
seconds at a temperature less than 230o c(melting point)

• In prefabricating the QCM retainer wires,the anterior

portion of the wire and the wave portion are heat
treated at about 150oc immediately after bending.
Maxillary retainer with QCM organic
polymer wire.

Prefabricated QCM retainer wires.

A. Anterior portion. B. Wave. C.
Posterior portion.
• The QCM wire is thicker than traditional retainers
which can make it impossible to use on terminal molars
that have not fully erupted or are out of occlusion at the
end of treatment. In such cases it is advantageous to join
metal posterior segments to QCM wire.

• QCM retainer wire showed a modulus of elasticity

similar to that of the flat bow retainer wire. After heat
treatment it displayed little deformation.
• The shrinkage that occurs with heating allows the wire
to fit more snugly to the caste and the reduction in the
overall length can be compensated by extending the
waves.

• No significant dis-colouration of the QCM wire was

noted indicating that it doesn’t absorb liquids.This
adds to the esthetic quality of the retainer.
 References
• JCO July 1995 , Vol.29 no.7
• EJO Feb 2000 , Vol.22 no.2
• JCO Apr 1992, Vol. 26 no. 4
• Angle Orthodontist 2000, Vol. 70 no.1
• JCO Feb 1989, Vol.23 no.2
• JCO Mar 1988 Vol. 22 no.3
• JCO Apr 1998 Vol. 32 no.4
 References
• Angle Orthodontist 1995, Vol.64 no.1
• Angle Orthodontist 1999, Vol.69 no4
• JCO May 1996, Vol. 30 , no.3