Anisotropic orthodontic force from the hollow super-elastic Ti-Ni alloy wire by transforming the wire cross-section.

The purpose of this research was to devise a method for transforming the cross-section of the hollow super-elastic Ti-Ni alloy round wire and to examine the changes in its bending properties for clinical orthodontic application. The specimen wires were pressed with the use of heated pliers to transform the cross-sectional shape. As a result, transformation of the wire cross-section with super-elasticity was possible. As a verified by cantilever test and three-point bending test of the transformed specimens, a two-dimensional orthodontic force, which was different in each bending direction, was obtained. The hollow wire showed considerably high load level in the long axis along with markedly low load level in the short axis, which was mainly caused by the change in the moment of inertia by transforming the cross-section. It was revealed that, by transforming the wire cross-section of the hollow super-elastic Ti-Ni alloy round wires, anisotropic orthodontic force in bending properties could be obtained with super-elasticity.