Moments generated by simple V-bends in nickel titanium wires

Abstract

This study compared the moments produced by V-bends placed in rectangular nickel titanium (NiTi) orthodontic wire to those produced in titanium-molybdenum alloy (TMA). V-bends that included angles of 135, 150, and 165 degrees were heat set into 0.017×0.025 and 0.016×0.025 inch NiTi alloy wires and identical bends bent into TMA wires with a dimension of 0.018×0.025 and 0.016×0.022 inch. There were five specimens per group (N=60). The moments produced by each specimen were tested on a custom jig that aligned two lower incisor brackets with zero tip or torque at an interbracket distance of 15 mm. The upper bracket was connected to a moment transducer. The V-bend position for each specimen was varied in 1 mm increments towards the moment transducer. The moments produced by TMA wires were linear, which increased as the V-bend approached the transducer, while NiTi exhibited a non-linear curve characterized by a flattening of the moment value. The point of dissociation (where the moment experienced by the bracket became zero) was estimated for both wire types using linear mixed model analysis. For TMA wires, this point was similar to that reported in the literature but was significantly less for NiTi wire when compared with TMA. The moments produced by TMA generally increased with the magnitude of the V-bend, whereas this was not the case for NiTi.