Health Dictionary
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Archwire
Introduction
Overview
An orthodontic archwire is a wire conforming to the alveolar or dental arch, that can be used as a source of force in correcting irregularities in the position of the teeth with dental braces. Not to be confused with arcwire.
An archwire can also be used in order to maintain the dental position; in this case it has a retention purpose. Orthodontic archwires can be fabricated with different alloys. These are most commonly stainless steel, nickel–titanium alloy (NiTi), and an alloy composed primarily of titanium and molybdenum (also called beta titanium).