A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SURFACE OF FACTORY AND HAND-MADE LOOPS ON TITANIUM-MOLYBDENUM ORTHODONTIC ARCHWIRE

Abstract

The most important part of the brackets, used in orthodontic treatment, is the archwire, which, when activated, generate light and long-lasting biomechanical forces that make the teeth move. Different manufacturers offer ready-made expensive solutions for orthodontists - archwire with loops along the length of the wire of different shape, which increases the cost of treatment. However, orthodontic practice is strictly individual, depending on the patient’s orthodontic problems, the stages and methods of treatment.
Orthodontists often have to choose between expensive archwires with pre-made loops or using an archwire that they can manually bend in the right places depending on the patient’s individual characteristics and specific needs. In this case, the orthodontist’s decision depends on preserving the quality of the archwire surface. The surface roughness of the orthodontic archwire plays an important role in the bracket-archwire complex and is an essential factor that determines the effectiveness of the guided movement of the teeth along the arch. Surface roughness not only affects the efficiency of sliding mechanics, due to frictional effects, but also corrosion behaviour and aesthetics. A comparison of the surface characteristics of Ti-Mo archwire - with factory and hand-made loops is made. The surface of the archwire in the bending zones of the loops was investigated by SEM analysis and Surface roughness analysis. The analysis of the results shows that manual bending practically does not change the surface of the archwire, does not introduce additional defects that increase the contact friction, as well as create conditions for faster deterioration of properties and the undesirable breakage of the archwire. Research results give orthodontists confidence that the manual bending process does not degrade the quality of the archwire surface. The hand-bent archwire preserves the possibility of trouble-free movement in the braces when tightening or loosening during the different stages of treatment.