Heat-activated archwire

Message

#1 Post by **lealicious** » Tue May 11, 2010 4:43 pm

I just had my first adjustment yesterday and my Ortho said he's putting in a heat-activated archwire. Anybody have these before? I tried doing a search on here but all the posts were really old so thought I'd just ask the question in a new thread.

It's a thicker wire, was really hard to feed them through my brackets. Apparently they're suppose to revert back to their archwire position when heated, and when cooled they're more relaxed. He also said that if I have a lot of discomfort to drink something cool to release some of the pressure.

I don't see feel the difference to tell you the truth. My teeth are not painful or anything, but they feel much the same as they did with the other smaller wire I had the first time around.

Anybody else have any experiences with these heat-activated wires?

#2 Post by **catgyrl** » Tue May 11, 2010 5:42 pm

I have them, both top and bottom. They're slightly heavier than the first wire I had a month ago. And YES, I can definitely feel them. I had no problems with my initial wires last month, but when they replaced them with slightly heavier ones last week, well... let's just say that I've had all kinds of discomfort and gum issues. My teeth and gums are super-duper sensitive now. Not really complaining, though, because I know they're doing their job.

You can also do a google search for "heat activated archwire" like I did, and I was able to find a lot of cool information.

#3 Post by **kilikena311** » Tue May 11, 2010 10:22 pm

If you eat something cold like ice cream, and touch it to your wire you can feel the archwire move. It's really strange. I didn't do it on purpose but I could definitely feel that it was affected by the cold.

#4 Post by **Snowglobe32** » Tue May 11, 2010 11:09 pm

I have them and have never noticed any difference.
The ice cream thing might be neat to try though.

#5 Post by **classII** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:12 am

It's activated by your body heat. Very very gently by design. Next time in a hot shower, collect hot water in your mouth, you'll most defintely feel all your teeth tighten after the shower.

#6 Post by **msbee** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:32 am

My orthodontist also told me to drink cold water should I find that the pain is too overwhelming.
I've not needed to do it for the pain, but I found the advice useful coz one of the brackets was partly open and the wire was partially dislogded. So gargling with cold water allowed the wire to be more flexible such that I could pop the wire back into place and close the gate =)

#7 Post by **DrBlur** » Wed May 12, 2010 7:13 am

I'll be getting these once the SARPE is completed

#8 Post by **lealicious** » Wed May 12, 2010 3:21 pm

Ok I definitely feel the difference now. My teeth are much more sore than when I first got my braces on. Especially my molars. They hardly hurt before, but now I can't eat anything besides mashed potatoes! Even soft fish hurt like hell. And my teeth don't come together the way they used to. They're knocking and I can't bite all the way down anymore.

But I haven't really felt the whole heat activation thing yet. I think it's because my teeth are so sore that even if I were releasing the pressure by drinking something cold I still feel the pain.

I'm hungry

I want steak

#9 Post by **catgyrl** » Wed May 12, 2010 5:56 pm

The heat activation isn't a conscious "Wow, my mouth is HOT!" kind of feeling. With me, it's kind of a "tingling" type of feeling, along with the occasional "cracking" sound of my teeth shifting (though I don't hear the cracking so much anymore). I think it was more noticeable in the beginning when I first got braced. Now that I'm used to having all this metal in my mouth, I can't tell what feeling is from what process.

#10 Post by **lealicious** » Wed May 12, 2010 11:29 pm

Yeah I know. The wire reacts to your own body heat and wants to revert to it's natural arched position - or something along those lines. I just don't feel the pressure release when I have something cold.

#11 Post by **bracedup** » Thu May 13, 2010 4:39 am

I have these too and yes it's very arkward to eat most days. These wires are designed to straighten when heated (to take natural form) and work 24/7, this is why they straighten teeth so well. My teeth have moved alot already, so I am happy, even though I have some discomfort.

#12 Post by **Takako** » Sat May 15, 2010 12:25 pm

The one wire I've had since the beginning is this type. And yes, I do mean the one wire. Not the one wire "type". I have literally had the same wire in my mouth for 14 months, except for a brief time at my repositioning appointment where they had to take it out. Then they put it right back in. Technically two wires: top and bottom. I haven't noticed any of the thermal issues other people have.