In Australia, the history of materials engineering for orthodontic wires is generally related to the development of the Begg appliance. Therefore, until recently, it has helped in the search for
A general metallurgical background for archwire selection and use is given including the following considerations: stiffness, flexibility, zero stress relaxation, formability, resiliency, high yield phenomena, and wire fracture and crack propagation; and how some of these may be