ORTHOBITES is great for further arch development after the nitinol and prior to the largest wire. The last arch wire to be employed in my series is the .018 x .025 Stainless Steel. I normally leave this arch wire in for 2-3 months to allow the periodontal ligaments to tighten up (Fig. 9). When the patient has been in the largest wire for a couple of months, I perform a final evaluation. I then remove the .018 x .025 SS and make sectionals from canine to canine with the same wire (Fig. 10). I also employ ¼” light (2.5-3 oz) cross arch elastics – two per side – the first beginning on the upper canine to lower first bi to upper first bi, and the second elastic from the lower second bi to the upper second bi to the lower first molar. This accomplishes two things: it socks the premolars into maximum occlusion which is the key to stability and it also creates some buccal root torque in Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 www.orthodontics.com March/April 2012 17
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society March-April 2012: Page 17
