Ultimate’s heat-activated, multi-force archwires provide a gradual increase of loads from anterior to posterior regions.
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Our Support - Spring Basics
Everything you need to put the spring back in your step on those sales calls!
Forces are everything in a spring. So, how do you choose? Here’s the guidance you need to move forward.
For opening, closing, and everything in-between!
Direction of Force
Coil springs can be generally categorized into three types: Compression, Extension, and Distalizing.
Compression, or Open Coil, springs are used to create spaces between teeth or, more simply, to move points away from one another. The coils are compressed when loaded and provide forces ‘outward’ to create and maintain needed space.
Compression springs are available in Nickel Titanium and Stainless Steel.
Ultimate offers many products to meet specific needs. Among them is the Neet Separating Spring; a specialized Nickel Titanium compression spring used to create banding space.
Extension, or Closed Coil, springs are used to close spaces between teeth or, more simply, to move points closer to one another. The coils are extended when loaded and provide retraction forces to close spaces.
Extension springs are available in Nickel Titanium and Stainless Steel.
The Class II Spring is a specialized Nickel Titanium extension spring, used for easy ligation in Class II correction treatment.
Distalizing, or Open-Closed Coil, springs are specialized springs to distalize molars. The springs are compressed when loaded and exert forces against the molars to tip or move them in the proper direction.
Back to TopDistalizing springs are available in Nickel Titanium.
Force Factors
There are many factors involved in determining the force delivered by a spring. The base material and its processing, wire size, number of active coils, and length of extension in use, all play a part in the process.
Ultimate offers a wide variety of springs so that your doctor can select those that suit his specific needs.
Nickel Titanium springs provide comfortable, predictable forces during treatment. We offer Nickel Titanium Compression and Extension springs in two forces types: Variable and Superelastic.
Variable Force springs are our most popular spring. They are designed so that the tooth-moving force gradually decreases as the spring returns to its nominal length. Variable force spring forces are indicated in blue on the following graphs.
Superelastic Force springs provide a flatter force profile upon return. The return profile indicates the clinical force applied to the patient. Many doctors find this flatter profile advantageous when loading springs in TAD (Temporary Anchorage Device) treatment. Superelastic Force spring forces are indicated in red on the following graphs.
Nickel Titanium Compression Springs
Variable force: the loading force is exhibited while being compressed, and the tooth-moving force gradually decreases as the spring returns.
Superelastic force: provides a flatter return profile than the variable force spring.
Nickel Titanium Extension Springs
Variable force: the loading force is exhibited while being extended, and the tooth-moving force gradually decreases as the spring returns.
Superelastic force: provides a flatter return profile than the variable force spring.
Actual forces exhibited by each of our Nickel Titanium Compression and Extension springs may be found in their respective Force Charts. For a quick comparison of the applied force between offerings, the rule of thumb that we suggest is to identify the return force at 50% of the extension length.
Stainless Steel springs, in comparison to Nickel Titanium springs, exert high initial forces and will commonly take a permanent set.
When you need to know just what a specific spring can do, refer to its product page in the Spring section. Product features and benefits can be found for each of our offerings.
To clarify things a bit further, we offer Our Support. Here you can find FAQ’s, Helpful Links, and even a Video and Document Library. You can find a Glossary and more in our Reference Sheets, too!
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