INTRODUCTION: In recent years, nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) archwires have been developed that undergo thermal transitions. Before the practitioner can fully utilize these products, the effect of those transitions within the clinical application must be understood. METHODS: The transitional temperatures and mechanical stiffnesses of 3 archwire alloys--stainless steel, beta-titanium, and Ni-Ti--were investigated were for 7 products. Among the nickel-titanium alloys, 2 were thought to represent classic Ni-Ti products and 3 copper (Cu)-Ni-Ti products. By using 2 techniques, differential scanning calorimetry to measure heat flow and dynamic mechanical analysis to measure storage modulus, transition temperatures were evaluated from -30 degrees C to +80 degrees C. RESULTS: With regard to the first technique, no transitions were observed for the stainless steel alloy, the beta-titanium alloy, and 1 of the 2 classic Ni-Ti products. For the other classic Ni-Ti product, however, a martensitic-austenitic transition was suggested on heating, and a reverse transformation was suggested on cooling. As expected, the Cu-Ni-Ti 27, 35, and 40 products manifested austenitic finish temperatures of 29.3 degrees C, 31.4 degrees C, and 37.3 degrees C, respectively, as the enthalpy increased from 2.47 to 3.18 calories per gram. With regard to the second technique, the storage modulus at a low frequency of 0.1 Hz paralleled static mechanical tests for the stainless steel alloy (183 gigapascal [GPa]), the beta-titanium alloy (64 GPa), and the Nitinol Classic (3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif) product that represented a stable martensitic phase (41 GPa). The remaining 4 Ni-Ti products generally varied from 20 to 35 GPa when the low-temperature or martensitic phase was present and from 60 to 70 GPa after the high-temperature or austenitic phase had formed. CONCLUSIONS: From the clinical viewpoint, the Orthonol (Rocky Mountain Orthodontics, Denver, Colo), Cu-Ni-Ti 27, Cu-Ni-Ti 35, and Cu-Ni-Ti 40 (SDS/Ormco, Glendora, Calif) products increased at least twofold in stiffness as temperature increased, best emulating the stiffness of Nitinol Classic below the transformational temperature and the stiffness of TMA (SDS/Ormco, Glendora, Calif) above the transformational temperature. Of the 3 Cu-Ni-Ti products, the least differences were found between Cu-Ni-Ti 27 and Cu-Ni-Ti 35, thereby questioning the justification for 3 similar products.
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