Stainless steel dental archwire
Stainless steel can be defined as an alloy of Iron (70%), Chromium (17-20%), Nickel (8-12%) and Carbon (~0.08%). This material offers good elasticity, while maintaining form and resisting deformation, making it a popular choice for dental archwires. Stainless steel archwire is also known as “18-8” stainless steel alloy, where 18-8 reflects the percentage of Chromium and Nickel in the alloy.
Cobalt chromium dental archwire
Cobalt chromium is also known as Elgiloy, and is used as an alternative to st. steel archwire when greater formability and friction are needed. Cobalt chromium has stiffness similar to stainless steel.
Nickel titanium (NiTi) dental archwire
The outstanding features of the NiTi alloy include the memory feature (which allows the bent wire to return in it’s original shape) and super-elasticity (ability to deliver a low force over long range of deformation).
NiTi (also known as nitinol) archwires are typically used in initial stages of orthodontic treatment.
Beta titanium dental archwire
Beta titanium has high friction properties and stiffness of about 1/3 of the stainless steel. This archwire material is commonly used in final stages of orthodontic treatment, when individual tooth positioning is required to achieve a desired occlusion.