title: Piggyback archwires.
abstract: Commonly, clinicians' principal tool in the alignment phase of orthodontic mechanotherapy is the nickel-titanium wire. During the course of orthodontic treatment, however, there are times when some segments of the dental arch require flexible wires, while the rest would benefit from rigid wires. In this report, we describe a technique where both of these needs are satisfied simultaneously. Specifically, a segment of nickel-titanium wire is piggybacked onto a stainless steel wire in regions where flexibility is desired. This method eliminates the problems associated with the activation, de-activation forces created along a continuous archwire and might be more economical. Clinical pictures illustrate the point.
authors.affiliation: Chesterfield Royal Hospital, Derbyshire, UK. JonSandler@AOL.com
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Di Biase
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009532:Nickel; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D009969:Orthodontic Wires; D013193:Stainless Steel; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014025:Titanium; D014079:Tooth Eruption, Ectopic / Q000628:therapy*; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014097:Tooth, Unerupted / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: C040654:titanium nickelide; D013193:Stainless Steel; D009532:Nickel; D014025:Titanium