Archwire

The AAO’s entries for archwire and wires

The archwire has its own entry in the Glossary of Orthodontic Terms published by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO): “The metal wire that is attached to the braces and used to move the teeth.” Another entry, for wires, explains how the wire stays on the teeth, saying “they are held to brackets using small elastic o-rings (rubber bands), stainless steel wire ligatures, or by a door on a self-ligating bracket.”

What the orthodontist does with round and rectangular archwires

Which archwire the orthodontist uses tends to follow the stage of treatment, and the AAO’s page on archwires describes the usual pattern: “Round archwires are often used in earlier stages of orthodontic treatment to level and align teeth.” For later stages the same page says: “Rectangular archwires are often used in later stages of orthodontic treatment to control and refine tooth movement.”

The word often matters, because the AAO describes a common sequence rather than a rule, and how a given plan uses its wires is the orthodontist’s decision.

The wire, and the parts it works with

The everyday name for an archwire is the wire, and the AAO’s glossary uses both names, with its entry for wires noting that they are also known as archwires. An archwire is one part of braces, and the braces page explains how it works with the brackets and the other parts. The bracket, the part the wire fits into, sits with the archwire in the glossary’s group for the parts of braces.