You were told at your last orthodontic visit that we use "progressive" arch wires as they were being placed in your mouth! The assistant working with you may have sounded pretty enthusiastic, yet you are left wondering, why the excitement?
Haven't you seen those commercials with the eyeglasses you can basically bend and wad up, then they spring back to their original shape? What is the material they are made of? It's called NiTi or Nickel Titanium Alloy. It's kind of a weird metal alloy that likes to retain it's shape even after deformation.
If you have a straight wire, make it "crooked" or otherwise deform or bend it to the shape of your not so straight teeth, then the wire wants to be straight again, so it slowly moves back to it's original position bringing the teeth along for the ride. That is slow constant pressure over time. That's what moves teeth.
There is even a variant that is soft when cold. It's limp like wet spaghetti when cold. It is then easily placed on the teeth. As the material warms up in the mouth, it wants to be in it's original position. Weird Science!
Stainless steel wires (ordinary wires) are used a lot in orthodontics. The more you deflect the SS wire, the more force the wire applies to the tooth. A NiTi wire does the same thing, but the force is lower and more constant over longer deflection distances for the same size wire. This is usually more physiologic. You can bend it further without it being too "stiff". It really hurts if you put too much force on a tooth.
What these NiTi arch wires mean when used during your treatment at Smiles Forever Orthodontics is that we are using gentle, yet continual pressure to move your teeth into alignment. As your mouth warms and cools with natural body temperature as well as the foods and drinks that you consume, the arch wires are being put to work. This process is progressing your treatment on a daily basis and that is truly something to be enthusiastic about!
