Abstract:
Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the force-deflection characteristics of aesthetic orthodontic wires. The three point bending flexural test was used to compare these wires to thermo-active nickel-titanium wire. The influence of coating thickness of aesthetic wires on deflection force was also evaluated. Material and Methods: 120 segments of aesthetic orthodontic wires with diameters ranging from 0.014" to 0.018" of 5 different commercial brands were evaluated. The forces released by the deactivation of these aesthetic wires were obtained by a three point bending test machine in deflections of 3, 2, 1 and 0.5 mm at a controlled temperature of 36 ± 1° C. Forces magnitudes released were compared by non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The presented results showed significant differences in forces released by aesthetic wires in all deflections distances tested during deactivation. No aesthetic wire tested presented fracture deflections up to 3 mm, but 0.018" Optis wire showed a permanent deformation in 0.5mm deactivation distance. Conclusion: There was a great variability in deactivation forces released by aesthetic orthodontic wires.
