Archwire
A metal wire shaped to the dental arch and threaded through the brackets of a fixed orthodontic appliance to exert corrective force on the teeth.
Full Definition
An archwire is the primary force-delivering component of a fixed orthodontic appliance, running through the slots of brackets bonded to the teeth. Archwires are fabricated from materials including stainless steel, nickel-titanium (NiTi), and beta-titanium, each offering different flexibility and force characteristics. The term is written as one word (archwire), not two (arch wire), in contemporary orthodontic literature. Editors should be alert to inconsistent hyphenation or spacing in clinical notes and product descriptions.
Usage
Usage note: Preferred single-word form is 'archwire'; editors should close the space if 'arch wire' appears in a manuscript unless house style dictates otherwise.
In Context
- "A 0.014-inch NiTi archwire was placed at the initial bonding appointment." — Treatment progress note
- "The archwire was advanced to a stiffer rectangular dimension to begin torque expression." — Orthodontic case summary