Man's long history of technologic development has been marked by a continuing search for improved materials. This effort has resulted in vast arrays of new materials which have affected nearly every aspect of contemporary life, including orthodontics.Today orthodontists move teeth using fixed appliances fashioned from metals, ceramics, and polymers. Stainless steel, cobalt-chromium, nickel-titanium, and b-titanium are the main alloys used to fashion arch wires. Stainless steel has been the workhorse for generations; despite its heat-treatment capabilities, cobalt-chromium has remained a...