Archwire

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.

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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).