Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences (2018) 34, 202e206

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect

journal homepage: http://www.kjms-online.com

Review Article

A novel b-titanium alloy orthodontic wire

Hong-Po Chang a,b,*, Yu-Chuan Tseng a,c

a
School of Dentistry and Graduate Program of Dental Sciences, College of Dental Medicine,
Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
b
Department of Dentistry (Orthodontics), Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital,
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
c
Department of Orthodontics, Dental Clinics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital,
Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Received 2 October 2017; accepted 12 January 2018

Available online 13 February 2018

KEYWORDS Abstract This literature review investigated a recently developed orthodontic wire
Orthodontic wire; composed of a b-titanium alloy known as “Gum Metal” and compared its properties with those
Gum Metal; of conventional wires. The attractive properties of Gum Metal include an ultra-low Young’s
Beta titanium; modulus, non-linear elastic behavior, ultra-high strength, high yield strain, high ductility,
Low modulus; and superplastic deformability without work hardening at room temperature. The unique
High strength multifunctional characteristics of this new orthodontic wire make it almost ideal for orthodon-
tic applications. The results of this literature review indicate the strong potential use of Gum
Metal wire for improving and enhancing the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment.
Copyright ª 2018, Kaohsiung Medical University. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an
open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Introduction Many of the materials and technologies currently used in

The emergence of the dental materials science in ortho-
dontic field coincided with the first orthodontic applica-
tions of gold and steel wire alloys by Edward Hartley Angle
(1855e1930), who is the father of modern orthodontics.
Conflicts of interest: All authors declare no conflicts of
interests.
* Corresponding author. School of Dentistry, Kaohsiung Medical
University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan.
E-mail address: hopoch@kmu.edu.tw (H.-P. Chang).
orthodontic practice would have been difficult to imagine
during the lifetime of Edward Angle [1].
Now that materials science has progressed to a recog-
nized specialty in the dental field, courses in the me-
chanical properties of various materials have been
integrated in postgraduate orthodontic curricula. This
review compares the properties of various dental mate-
rials, particularly those of new b-titanium orthodontic
wires. Due to limited space, the biomechanical properties
and orthodontic applications of these materials will not be
discussed.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjms.2018.01.010
1607-551X/Copyright ª 2018, Kaohsiung Medical University. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
A novel b-titanium alloy orthodontic wire
Precious metal alloys, stainless steel, and
cobalt-chromium alloys
At the time when Angle and Tweed published their land-
mark study in the first half of the 20th century, only gold-
nickel alloy wires had sufficient elasticity and corrosion
resistance for orthodontic applications. Precious metal al-
loys such as gold-nickel were used because gold itself is too
soft for most dental applications. However, precious metal
alloy wires such as gold-nickel eventually became obsolete
due to their prohibitive expense and the introduction of
stainless steel wires. Stainless steel wires are highly resis-
tant to rust due to their relatively high chromium content.
For example, a typical stainless steel wire is composed of
18% chromium and 8% nickel (thus, the steel used in this
wire is referred to as 18-8 stainless steel) [2,3]. Because of
its high corrosion resistance, excellent work-hardening
properties, and low coefficient of friction, stainless steel
became the standard material for orthodontic applications
[4e6]. By the 1960s, the use of gold alloy orthodontic wires
was widely abandoned in favor of stainless steel wires [7,8].
Cobalt-chromium alloys emerged in the 1960s [9]. The
first cobalt-chromium wires (Elgiloy) were developed in the
United States by the Rocky Mountain Co. (Denver, CO) [8].
Like stainless steels, they have a high stiffness; however,
cobalt-chromium alloys are also heat treatable and are
available in four different tempers [8,10]. Different tem-
pers are needed to introduce various loops, V-bends, and
offsets in an archwire. One advantage of using Elgiloy for
orthodontic applications is its low hardness. After being
shaped, Elgiloy can be hardened by heat treatment, which
substantially increases its strength. After heat treatment,
the softest Elgiloy acquires a hardness equivalent to that of
stainless steel whereas the harder Elgiloy acquires a hard-
ness equivalent to that of “super” steels.
For orthodontic applications, precious metals have been
replaced by stainless steels and Elgiloy, which have a
considerably higher strength and springiness, a comparable
corrosion resistance, and a lower cost. The unique prop-
erties of Elgiloy and stainless steel have made them the
standard materials for orthodontic wires in the past 70
years.
Nickel-titanium alloys
Due to its biocompatibility and other beneficial properties,
titanium is now used in pure or alloy form in many areas of
dentistry. For example, titanium alloys are increasingly
used to fabricate orthodontic wires, denture cast bases,
dental implants and other dental appliances.
At the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in 1962, Buehler
developed an alloy known as Nitinol (i.e., nickel-titanium,
Naval Ordnance Laboratory) [11,12]. The first practical use
of this material was in the antenna of a space satellite.
Nickel-titanium (NiTi) orthodontic wires (50% nickel and
50% titanium) were first used by Andreasen and colleagues
in the early 1970s [13,14]. The Unitek Corporation (now 3M
Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) obtained a patent license for
Nitinol in 1974 and now offers a stabilized martensitic form
of Nitinol that is not subject to the shape-memory effect
(SME) [15].
203
In 1986, ‘‘superelastic’’ NiTi alloys were developed by
researchers in China [16] and in Japan [17]. Both Chinese
NiTi and Japanese NiTi were active austenitic alloys that
form stress-induced martensite [15]. Neo Sentalloy, which
is a true active martensitic alloy, was introduced in the
early 1990s. The SME in Neo Sentalloy is pseudoelastic
during forming and thermoelastic during recovery [18]. In
1994, three copper NiTi products are introduced, which
have chromium in them as well, and display the SME at
27  C, 35  C, or 40  C [19,20].
Orthodontic archwires composed of NiTi are now widely
used because their low load-to-deflection ratio provides a
desirable force level and good control of force magnitude
[21]. The use of NiTi wires has greatly simplified the initial
phase of orthodontic treatment due to their superelastic
properties and constant low forces over a wide range of
activation. However, the low deformability of such
superelastic wires limits their use in the second or third
phase of an orthodontic treatment [22].
b-Titanium
Titanium-molybdenum alloy (TMA, Ormco/Sybron, Orange,
CA, USA) is a b-titanium alloy introduced in the early 1980s
for orthodontic applications. Its combination of high
strength and springiness makes it an excellent choice for
auxiliary springs and finishing archwires, especially rect-
angular wires used in late stages of edgewise orthodontic
treatment. Since it lacks the formability and stiffness of
cobalt-chromium wire, however, TMA is unsuitable for ap-
plications that require a flexible wire. Another drawback of
TMA wires is their high surface roughness, which produces
high friction between the archwire and bracket [23].
However, ion-implanted TMA wires that have substantially
reduced archwire-bracket friction [24] (low-friction TMA)
are now available from Ormco/Sybron.
Development of new b-titanium alloys and other tita-
nium alloys has rapidly increased in recent years, partly
because of the high biocompatibility of these nickel-free
wires.
Development of Gum Metal
A b-titanium alloy known as Gum Metal was developed in
2003 at the Metallurgy Research Section of Toyota Central R &
D Labs., Inc., Japan. This multi-functional titanium alloy has a
b-type body-centered cubic (BCC) crystal structure. Gum
Metal is an alloy of titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta),
zirconium (Zr), all of which are in groups IVa and Va in the
periodic table of elements. The chemical composition of Gum
Metal (Ti-36Nb-2Ta-3Zr-0.3O; wt.%) was chosen based func-
tional density theory [25e30]. The “super” properties of Gum
Metal under intensive cold working include an ultra-low
Young’s modulus with non-linear elastic behavior, ultra-high
strength, high yield strain, high ductility, and superplastic
deformability at room temperature [25e35]. Its remarkable
characteristics are obtained by the juxtaposition of three
electronic magic numbers: (1) its compositional average
valence electron number [electron/atom (e/a) ratio] is
approximately 4.24; (2) its bond order (Bo value), which in-
dicates bonding strength, is approximately 2.87 according to
204
the DV-Xa cluster method; (3) its “d” electron-orbital energy
level (Md value), which indicates electronegativity, is
approximately 2.45 eV [25e35]. Gum Metal was designed to
achieve all three electronic magic numbers simultaneously.
Addition of oxygen and good cold working performance pro-
duces a marble-like microstructure that gives Gum Metal a
plastic-deformed structure without a dislocation motion of
the crystal. The oxygen in Gum Metal is the most important
alloying element in terms of obtaining its outstanding me-
chanical properties and unique deformation behavior
[36e38].
Four companies have collaborated in the development
of Gum Metal for orthodontic therapy: the Metallurgy
Research Section of Toyota Central R & D Labs., Inc.;
Toyotsu Material Inc.; Maruem Works Co., Ltd.; and Rocky
Mountain Morita Corporation. Professor Shin Hasegawa of
Kanagawa Dental University, Japan, has provided consul-
tation for this 6-year collaborative effort. Gum Metal now
provides orthodontists with a practical, economical, and
effective aid to orthodontic therapy. The super-low Young’s
modulus of Gum Metal enables true 3-dimensional control
of teeth and the fabrication of orthodontic appliances that
provide a near-optimal distribution of force for stable and
gentle movement of teeth [39,40].
Gum Metal orthodontic wire
The characteristics of Gum Metal wire can be summarized
as follows:
1. A Young’s modulus approximating 40 GPa (i.e., super-low
elastic modulus) and a tensile strength of approximately
1000 MPa (i.e., super-high strength). Compared to NiTi,
Gum Metal is more flexible, and its Young’s modulus is
approximately 85 GPa [33,38e40].
2. Gum Metal is super-elastic and has a ductility approxi-
mately 10 times (2.5%) greater than that of conventional
metals [33,38e40].
3. Unlike NiTi, super-elastic deformation in Gum Metal is
true elastic deformation without hysteresis (i.e.,
without energy loss between loading and unloading in
the stressestrain relation). Its nonlinear elastic proper-
ties are not subject to the Hook’s law [38e40].
4. Work-hardening does not occur during the forming pro-
cess. Its super-elastic properties enable cold deforma-
tion up to 99.9% or higher without compensation (super-
plastic deformation) [38e40]. Gum Metal does not
deform via a dislocation-free plastic deformation
mechanism [41e43]. Proposed mechanisms of anoma-
lous deformation behavior in multifunctional Gum Metal
include reversible nanodisturbance [44], deformation
twinning [45], reversible stress-induced martensitic
transformation [46], and spatially confined martensitic
transformation from a BCC crystal structure to a”
(orthorhombic) and d phases [47,48].
5. All constituent atomic elements of the alloy are
biocompatible and non-toxic [49].
6. Compared to other titanium wires, a Gum Metal wire
generates approximately half the friction between the
archwire and bracket with an appropriately treated
surface [39,40].
H.-P. Chang, Y.-C. Tseng
The Gum Metal characteristics that make it suitable for
orthodontic applications can be summarized as follows
[39,40,50]:
1. High flexibility and super-elasticity.
2. Easier to bend and easier to handle compared to other
titanium alloy wires such as CoCr (Elgiloy) wires.
3. High springback but without hysteresis. Enables easy
control of orthodontic force.
4. Free of nickel and heavy metals (non-toxic).
5. Not susceptible to work hardening. Intraoral breakage
rarely occurs.
6. Low coefficient of friction. Suitable for sliding me-
chanics of orthodontic tooth movement.
Clinical applications of Gum Metal wire
Until now, no orthodontic wire has exhibited all of the ideal
characteristics. Orthodontists have used different wire
types for different purposes and requirements of treat-
ment. Because of its low Young’s modulus, the force pro-
duced when Gum Metal is deformed is small even with
rectangular wire. The elastic deformation characteristics of
Gum Metal make is suitable for treating early stages of
crowding. Because it does not follow the Hooke’s law, Gum
Metal produces low orthodontic force even when displace-
ment is high. These characteristics of Gum Metal substan-
tially increase the potential applications of rectangular
wire [39,40,50].
Since rectangular Gum Metal wire provides more torque
for moving teeth at an early stage and a dramatically
shorter duration of leveling compared to conventional
wires. A rectangular wire may also be easier to use for
active application of torque compared to the conventional
combination of NiTi rectangular wire and stainless steel
wire. Therefore, 3-dimensional control is possible at all
stages of active treatment except the very earliest stage.
Thus, the use of Gum Metal wire reduces not only the
overall duration of orthodontic treatment, but also the
number of orthodontist visits needed for wire changes
[39,40,50].
Summary
The unique characteristics of Gum Metal wire make it
almost ideal for orthodontic applications. The super elasto-
plastic properties of Gum Metal archwires enables sub-
stantially faster and easier initial leveling and alignment.
Because of their ultra-low elastic modulus and deform-
ability, rectangular Gum Metal wires are also applicable at
when 3-dimensional (torque) control of tooth movement is
needed in very early stages of orthodontic procedures.
Finally, its super-elasticity and non-linear elastic defor-
mation behavior maximize the activation range of wires
without excessive force. For orthodontic patients, the use
of Gum Metal wire reduces the pain and discomfort of or-
thodontic treatment by reducing the number of required
wire changes and the duration of treatment. Gum Metal
wire has strong potential applications for improving and
enhancing the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment.
A novel b-titanium alloy orthodontic wire
Acknowledgment
We are grateful to Prof. Shin Hasegawa of Kanagawa Dental
University, Toyota Central R & D Labs. Inc., and Rocky
Mountain Morita Corporation for providing the data in this
work.
References
[1] Eliades T. Dental materials in orthodontics. In: Graber LW,
Vanarsdall RL, Vig KWL, editors. Orthodontics: current prin-
ciples and techniques. 5th ed. St Louis, Mo: Mosby-Elsevier;
2012. p. 1023e37.
[2] Brusse A, Carman JL. Chrome alloy. Int J Orthod Dent Child
1934;20:337e48.
[3] Kusy RP, Dilley GJ, Whitley JQ. Mechanical properties of
stainless steel orthodontic archwires. Clin Mater 1988;3:
41e59.
[4] Nicolls J. Friction forces in fixed orthodontic appliances. Dent
Pract 1968;18:362e6.
[5] Kapila S, Angolkar PV, Duncanson MG, Nanda RS. Evaluation of
friction between edgewise stainless steel brackets and or-
thodontic wires of four alloys. Am J Orthod Dentofac Orthop
1990;98:117e26.
[6] Kusy RP, Whitley JQ. Friction between different wire-bracket
configurations and materials. Sem Orthod 1997;3:166e77.
[7] Thurow RC. Edgewise orthodontics. 3rd ed. St Louis, Mo:
Mosby; 1972. p. 22e34. 148, 270.
[8] Kusy RP. Basic properties and characteristics of archwires.
Pract Rev Orthod 1995 Feb:142e51.
[9] Promotional Literature. Elgiloy: the cobalt-nickel alloy. Elgin,
Ill: Elgiloy Company; 1975. p. 6e9.
[10] Promotional Literature. Elgiloy and Tru-chrome stainless steel
orthodontic treatment wires. Denver, Colo: Rocky Moun-
tain/Associates International; 1977. p. 5e8.
[11] Buehler WJ, Gilfrich JV, Wiley RC. Effect of low-temperature
phase changes on the mechanical properties of alloys near
composition TiNi. J Appl Phys 1963;34:1475e7.
[12] Buehler WJ, Wang FE. A summary of recent research on the
Nitinol alloys and their potential application in ocean engi-
neering. Ocean Eng 1968;1:105e8.
[13] Andreasen GF, Hilleman TB. An evaluation of 55 cobalt
substituted Nitinol wire for use in orthodontics. J Am Dent
Assoc 1971;82:1373e5.
[14] Andreasen GF, Brady PR. A use hypothesis for 55 Nitinol wire
for orthodontics. Angle Orthod 1972;42:172e7.
[15] Kousbroek R. Shape memory alloys. In: Ducheyne P,
Hastings GW, editors. Metal and ceramic biomaterials, vol.
IIdstrength and surface. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press; 1984.
p. 63e90.
[16] Burstone CJ, Qin B, Morton JY. Chinese Ni-Ti wire: a new or-
thodontic alloy. Am J Orthod 1985;87:445e52.
[17] Miura F, Mogi M, Ohura Y, Hamanaka H. The super-elastic
property of the Japanese NiTi alloy wire for use in orthodon-
tics. Am J Orthod Dentofac Orthop 1986;90:1e10.
[18] Mertmann M. Processing and quality control of binary NiTi
shape memory alloys. In: L’H Yahia, editor. Shape memory
implants. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag; 2000. p. 24e5.
[19] Brantley WA, Eliades T. Orthodontic materials: scientific and
clinical aspects. Stuttgart, Germany: Thieme; 2001. p. 84e97.
[20] Gil FJ, Planell JA. Effect of copper addition on the supere-
lastic behavior of NiTi shape memory alloys for orthodontic
applications. Biomed Mater Res (Appl Biomater) 1999;48:
682e8.
[21] Burstone CJ. Variable-modulus orthodontics. Am J Orthod
1981;80:1e16.
205
[22] Proffit WR. Orthodontic archwire materials. In: Proffit WR,
Fields HW, Sarver DM, Ackerman JL, editors. Contemporary
orthodontics. St Louis, Mo: Elsevier Mosby; 2013. p. 314e8.
[23] Kusy RP, Whitley JQ, Prewitt MJ. Comparison of the frictional
coefficients for selected archwire-bracket slot combinations
in the dry and wet states. Angle Orthod 1991;61:293e302
[Erratum in 1993;63:164.].
[24] Kula K, Phillips C, Gibilaro A, Proffit WR. Effect of ion im-
plantation of TMA archwires on the rate of orthodontic sliding
space closure. Am J Orthod Dentofac Orthop 1998;114:
577e80.
[25] Saito T, Furuta T, Hwang JH, Kuramoto S, Nishino K, Suzuki N,
et al. Multifunctional alloys obtained via a dislocation-free
plastic deformation mechanism. Science 2003;300:464e7.
[26] Furuta T, Nishino K, Hwang JH, Yamada A, Ito K, Osawa S,
et al. Development of multifunctional titanium alloy gum
metal. In: Lütjering G, Albrecht J, editors. Ti-2003 science
and technology: proceedings of the 10th world conference on
titanium held at the CCH-congress center Hamburg, Germany
13-18 July 2003. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH; 2003. p. 1519e26.
[27] Kuramoto S, Furuta T, Hwang JH, Seno Y, Nonaka T, Ikehata H,
et al. Origin for “super” properties in gum metal. In:
Lütjering G, Albrecht J, editors. Ti-2003 science and tech-
nology: proceedings of the 10th world conference on titanium
held at the CCH-congress center Hamburg, Germany 13-18
July 2003. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH; 2003. p. 1527e34.
[28] Ikehata H, Nagasako N, Furuta T, Furuta T, Fukumoto A,
Miwa K, et al. First-principles calculations for development of
low elastic modulus Ti alloys. Phys Rev B 2004;70:174113.
[29] Ikehata H, Nagasako N, Kuramoto S, Saito T. Designing new
structural materials using density functional theory: the
example of gum metal. MRS Bull 2006;31:688e92.
[30] Nagasako N, Asahi R, Hafner J. First-principles of Gum-metal
alloys: mechanism of ideal strength. R Rev Toyota CRDL
2013;44:61e8.
[31] Saito T, Furuta T, Hwang JH, Kuramoto S, Nishino K, Suzuki N,
et al. Multifunctional titanium alloy “gum metal”. Mater Sci
Forum 2003;426e432:681e8.
[32] Nishino K. Multifunctional new alloy gum metal. Mech Eng J
2003;106:899 [In Japanese].
[33] Nishino K. Super multifunctional alloy “gum metal”. R Rev
Toyota CRDL 2003;38:50.
[34] Furuta T, Kuramoto S, Hwang JH, Ito K, Saito T. Development
of multifunctional new titanium alloy gum metal. Mater Jpn
2004;43:154e6 [In Japanese].
[35] Kuramoto S, Nishino K, Saito T. Multifunctional titanium alloy.
J Jpn Inst Light Metals 2005;12:618e23 [In Japanese].
[36] Furuta T, Kuramoto S, Rong C, Hwang J, Nishino K, Saito T,
et al. Effect of oxygen on phase stability and elastic defor-
mation behavior in gum metal. J Jpn Inst Metals 2006;70:
579e85 [In Japanese].
[37] Gloriant T, Besse M, Castany P, Cornen M, Gordin DM, Laillé D.
How oxygen influences the deformation mechanism of the
“gum metal” titanium alloy composition. Mater Sci Forum
2012;706:492e7.
[38] Furuta T, Kuramoto S, Morris JW, Nagasako N, Withey E,
Chrzan DC. The mechanism of strength and deformation in
gum metal. Scr Mercat 2013;68:767e72.
[39] Hasegawa S. A concept of “en bloc” movement using Gum
Metal wire. Tokyo: Tokyo Clinical Publications, Inc.; 2012 [In
Japanese].
[40] Hasegawa S. A concept of “en bloc” movement of teeth using
Gum Metal wires. Tokyo: Quintessence Publishing; 2014.
[41] Xing H, Sun J, Yao Q, Guo WY, Chen R. Origin of substantial
plastic deformation in Gum Metals. Appl Phys Lett 2008;92:
151905.
[42] Talling RJ, Dashwood RJ, Jackson M, Dye D. On the mechanism
of superelasticity in gum metal. Acta Mater 2009;57:1188e98.
206
[43] Kuramoto S, Furuta T, Hwang JH, Nishino K, Saito T. Elastic
properties of gum metal. Mater Sci Eng A 2006;442:454e7.
[44] Gutkin MY, Ishizaki T, Kuramoto S, Ovid’ko IA. Nano-
disturbances in deformed gum metal. Acta Mater 2006;54:
2489e99.
[45] Xing H, Sun J. Mechanical twinning and omega transition by
<111> {112} shear in a metastable b titanium alloy. Appl Phys
Lett 2008;93:031908.
[46] Morris JW, Hanlumyuang Y, Sherburne M, Withey E, Chrzan DC,
Kuramoto S, et al. Anomalous transformation-induced defor-
mation in <110> textured gum metal. Acta Mater 2010;58:
3271e80.
[47] Liu JP, Wang YD, Hao YL, Wang Y, Nie ZH, Wang D, et al. New
intrinsic mechanism on gum-like superelasticity of multi-
functional alloys. Sci Rep 2013;3:2156.
H.-P. Chang, Y.-C. Tseng
[48] Liu JP, Wang YD, Hao YL, Wang HL, Wang Y, Nie ZH, et al.
High-energy X-ray diffuse scattering studies on deformation-
induced spatially confined martensitic transformations in
multifunctional Tie24Nbe4Zre8Sn alloy. Acta Mater 2014;81:
476e86.
[49] Gordin DM, Ion R, Vasilescu C, Drob SI, Cimpean A,
Gloriant T. Potentiality of the “gum metal” titanium-based
alloy for biomedical applications. Mater Sci Eng C 2014;44:
362e70.
[50] Hasegawa S. Ein Konzept zur “en bloc” Bewegung von Zähnen
mithhilfe von Drähten aus “Gum Metal”. Inf Orthod Kiefer-
orthop 2013;45:77e91.