When we refer to, "Martensitic" we are talking about the cold state or the soft state of nickel titanium. These archwires have martensite present at room temperature, but go through a transformation change to austenite, which strengthens the wire once placed in the mouth. Our Austenitic archwires go through a similar transformation, but at a much lower temperature. The austenitic archwires appear stiffer at room temperature. Our Martensitic wires exhibit superelastic properties as well as shape memory properties. Our Austenitic wires exhibit only SE properties. Martensitic archwires are the wire of choice for severe malocclusions, and offer earlier rectangular wire engagement.

Ultra Therm® Archwires

Ultra Therm® Archwires are manufactured from a new Niti wire developed specifically by Ultimate Wireforms for thermal or heat-activated (Martensitic) arches.

Features & Benefits of Ultra Therm Archwires:

• More and more practitioners are turning to lighter wires/forces for tough cases. This approach places increased demands on thermal archwires. This new, Ultra Therm wire was developed from the latest Niti alloy technology to meet these demands.
• The Niti wire used to make Ultra Therm archwires was developed specifically for heat-activated archwires. It is not a compromise or "multi-purpose" wire. The result is more consistent Af performance from lot to lot. The functional Af is 80-90°F.
• Ultra Therm archwires exhibit improved resiliency which means they are measurably more resistant to permanent set (deformation).
• Ultra Therm archwires exhibit true thermal performance. They are soft in the hand (room temperature) and allow for significantly easier ligation.
• Ultra Therm archwires exhibit a narrower transformation band from martensite to austenite which gives the archwires a "crisper" response as they move between their "soft" state and "stiff" state.
• Ideal for adult patients with significant crowding, as Ultra Therm archwires are easier to ligate and deliver low biologic force. A .016" x .022" wire can be easily ligated in a moderate crowding patient.

Features & Benefits of Ultra Therm Plus Archwires:

• The Niti wire used to make Ultra Therm Plus archwires was developed specifically for heat-activated archwires. It is not a compromise or "multi-purpose" wire. The result is more consistent Af performance from lot to lot. The functional Af is 60-75°F.
• Ultra Therm Plus archwires exhibit improved resiliency which means they are measurably more resistant to permanent set (deformation).
• Ultra Therm Plus archwires exhibit true thermal performance. They are soft in the hand (room temperature) and allow for significantly easier ligation.
• Ultra Therm Plus archwires exhibit a narrower transformation band from martensite to austenite which gives the archwires a "crisper" response as they move between their "soft" state and "stiff" state.

Martensitic (Thermal) One

This is our fourth strongest archwire in our series. This heat activated wire transfers from martensite to austenite and is fully austenitic at 105 degrees F. Very soft outside the mouth, but elastic modulus increases once in the mouth, making the wire stiffer. Our lightest force archwire, even when fully austenitic, (slightly above mouth temperature) is our softest wire. Warm rinses are required for the wire to exhibit full austenitic properties, which increase the force of the wire.

TIP: If you would like to test a piece of martensitic wire or you just want to see how this stuff works, try the following:

a) obtain two glasses, fill one with cold water (60 degrees F or less) and the other with hot water (about 100 degrees F).

b) place the martensitic wire in the cold water for a few seconds and then pull the ends of the wire together until you have produced approx. a 90 degree bend. Feel how soft that wire is!