A comparison of archwires used for initial alignment in Begg treatment

Since the introduction of the Begg technique, the Wilcock 0 016” archwire* has been invariably used at the start of Stage I. The recent past has witnessed advances in clinical orthodontic archwire metalallurgy and with it, many flexible archwires have emerged. The impact of these wires, popular with the Edgewise operators, has yet to be felt in the Begg technique. The present study showed that flexible archwires such as the 0 016” Japanese NiTi wire‡, 0 016” Nitinol wire† and 0 010” Supreme Wilcock wire can all significantly (p <0-001) decrease the time taken for initial alignment of teeth as compared to the Wilcock 0 016” wire. Of the flexible archwires tested in this study, 0 016” Japanese Niti wire was most efficient in obtaining initial alignment (p<0 00l). Therefore, in minimal to moderate anchorage cases where bite opening is not of a major concern, initiating Begg treatment with flexible archwires can shorten treatment time. The use of such flexible archwires is also consistent with the Begg philosophy of using light forces to stimulate tooth movement.