Key Issues to Remember:

The benefit of Copper Ni-Ti is precise transformation temperature, which makes delivery of precise and consistent forces possible. What determines the force delivered by a thermally activated wire is the difference between the transformation temperature of the wire and the mouth temperature. The greater the difference between transformation temperature and mouth temperature, the greater the force the wire delivers. The ability to establish a precise transformation temperature is key to producing a wire that delivers consistent and predictable forces. With the copper in Copper Ni-Ti, Ormco can establish a transformation temperature range of 2C during the manufacturing process. All other Ni-Ti wires have a transformation temperature range of 5C. Lot-to-lot consistency. All clinicians, including Dr. Damon, are familiar with the variability of the stiffness and performance of traditional Ni-Ti wires. In the past, Dr. Damon has rejected about 30% of his Ni-Ti Align SE wires for lack of sufficient stiffness. Q: What is the transformation temperature of .014 Damon Copper Ni-Ti? A: The initial wire in the Damon System has to complete two objectives. It must be a small, round wire so that it will be passively engaged in the archwire slot and small enough to minimize angles as the wire bends when it leaves one bracket and goes into the next. The result is minimum friction and binding in the system. Because of the small dimension of this wire, it is also critical that the wire deliver sufficient forces for efficient tooth movement. This requires a wire with a relative stiffness greater than Ormco's other Copper Ni-Ti wires (27C, 35C and 40C Copper Ni-Ti). To assure that optimum forces are delivered, .014 Damon Copper Ni-Ti has a maximum transformation temperature of 25C, which is lower than Ormco's other Copper Ni-Ti wires. But this doesn't tell the whole story. The wire is also work hardened during the manufacturing process to make it stiffer. The combination of a lower transformation temperature and increased work hardening allows Ormco to manufacturer a small-dimension archwire with sufficient stiffness to deliver optimal forces during the initial phase of treatment. Q: What is the difference in force levels between .014 Damon Copper Ni-Ti and .014 Align SE? A: The design objective of Damon Copper Ni-Ti is not to offer an alternative force level when compared to Align SE but rather to produce a wire that would deliver consistent and predictable optimal force. Due to fluctuating transformation temperature, Align SE delivers inconsistent force. This explains why many doctors have complained that the .014 Align SE initial wire frequently takes a permanent set or delivers limited tooth movement force due to insufficient stiffness. The design objective of .014 Copper Ni-Ti is to increase the efficiency, consistency and predictability of the initial round wire in the Damon System. Q: What is the advantage of .014 Damon Copper Ni-Ti over other Ni-Ti (including .014 Align SE)? A: The key to consistent force delivery with all Ni-Ti wires is the ability to establish a precise transformation temperature; in other words, the temperature at which the wire will transform from an inactive state to an active state. Because of the copper in the Copper Ni-Ti alloy, Ormco is able to establish a transformation temperature within the limited range of 2C. Due to intrinsic limitations, the transformation temperature of other Ni-Ti alloys is 5C. This means .014 Damon Copper Ni-Ti will activate at a precise transformation temperature and deliver more-consistent and predicable forces with far greater wire-to-wire consistency than other Ni-Ti alloys and is more

flexible, allowing easier engagement without taking a permanent set. Q: Are there any other differences? A: The .014 Damon Copper Ni-Ti wires have greater resilience (recovery) relative to other Ni-Ti wires and provide greater force to move teeth to their final position. An ideal initial archwire would completely level and align the teeth to the shape of the selected arch. This would make full-sized wire engagement easier since the aligned teeth would minimize or eliminate the need to force the wire into bracket slots that are not aligned properly. This is a particularly important difference for Damon brackets because clinicians can close the slide rather than ligate the archwire into the slot.

Damon .014 Copper Ni-Ti

Q: What are the clinical advantages of Copper Ni-Ti? A: Copper Ni-Ti has revolutionized orthodontics by providing the clinician with an archwire that delivers constant low forces with unparalleled wire-to-wire consistency. Ormco is now making Copper Ni-Ti available in the Damon arch-form. Damon .014 Copper Ni-Ti offers distinct advantages over other traditional nickel titanium archwire. Consistent Forces: Compared to other nickel titanium alloys, Damon Copper Ni-Ti will generate constant forces over longer activation spans. By combining exclusive metallurgical properties with a rigorously controlled manufacturing process, Damon Copper Ni-Ti will activate at a precise transformation temperature. The result is more- consistent and predictable forces for optimum tooth movement than traditional nickel titanium archwires that can provide unpredictable force levels due to fluctuating activation temperatures. To provide consistency, each batch is tested at the time it is manufactured to ensure that it meets our stringent specifications. Predictable Forces: Damon Copper Ni-Ti represents a giant leap in delivering optimum forces compared to all other nickel titanium wires. Damon Copper Ni-Ti is more resistant to permanent deformation and generates constant forces with only a very small drop in unloading (tooth moving) forces. As treatment progresses, the forces in many traditional nickel titanium wires will drop off below optimum levels due to inconsistent wire transformation temperatures. Damon Copper Ni-Ti will provide optimum and predictable forces throughout treatment. Additionally, Damon Copper Ni-Ti is more flexible than traditional nickel titanium wire allowing easier engagement and it will not take a permanent set.

Damon Copper Ni-Ti

Traditional Ni-Ti

Damon Copper Ni-Ti will provide optimum force levels throughout treatment while the force levels of traditional Ni-Ti wires tend to drop off to sub-optimum levels as treatment progresses.

Low Friction TMA in the Damon Arch Form

Q: More and more doctors are using TMA in their Damon cases. Doesn't TMA have too much friction to be used in the Damon System? What are the benefits of using TMA in the Damon System? A: We are now bringing the clinical benefits of Low-Friction Colored TMA to the Damon System. Ormco's exclusive ion beam implantation process hardens the surface of regular TMA and thus decreases friction by up to 70%. This process also increases the resiliency of Low-Friction Colored TMA, which helps maintain any bends put in the archwire. This, combined with the fact that TMA has half the stiffness of stainless steel, allows you to use an archwire that will deliver gentler, more optimal forces in the working and final phase of the Damon treatment. In the Damon System, LowFriction Colored TMA has a variety of clinical uses that will help facilitate your ability to achieve the superior result you demand. Damon Treatment Indications: In the final phase, Low-Friction Colored TMA's greater flexibility allows you to more easily bend torque in the archwire with moderate forces without hindering your ability to close the slide Easier to inert and close the slide than stainless steel when small detail bends are desired at the end of treatment, Low Friction Colored TMA can be used for final realigning after en masse retraction, when Class II elastics were used for anchorage. Low Friction Colored TMA is easy to insert especially when incorporating second molars. Low-Friction Colored TMA is available in Purple and Honeydew. It will be available in .016 x .025, .017 x .025 and .019 x .025 cross-sections.

Debonding Damon2 Brackets

Q: What is the recommended procedure for debonding Damon2 brackets? A: Removing the Damon Appliance is a little different than removing a conventional appliance. As you know, the typical method to debond a twin appliance is to grab the mesial-distal tie-wings and squeeze until the base deforms and the bracket comes off. This method is unreliable with the Damon 2 because the slide reinforces the tie-wings and makes them difficult collapse. We recommend using the AEZ 90 Debonding Plier (803-0104). Follow the instructions below to successfully debond the Damon 2 appliance. 1. ImageUsing the Debonding instrument, grasp the bracket under the occlusal-gingival tie-wings. Squeeze the instrument handles slowly applying gradual force until the bracket comes off the teeth. Do not pull, jerk, or twist the bracket. 2. PhotoFor brackets with hooks, grasp under the mesial tie-wing to avoid the hook. Do not grasp more than two tie-wings at a time. Squeeze the instrument handles slowly applying gradual force until the bracket comes off the teeth. Do not pull, jerk, or twist the bracket.

Avoiding Bond Failures with Damon 2

Q: We are having a problem with brackets debonding shortly after initial bond with the Damon Appliance. We are using the same light cure adhesive that we used with our conventional appliance and we have not changed our bonding procedure. A: This is fairly common problem when starting with the Damon System. There are a couple of factors that you should look at: 1. The Damon 2 has a slightly different design than most conventional appliance. The pad is rhomboid shaped and the bracket is rectangular. If you are accustomed to place rhomboid brackets this can be a little confusing. Because the configuration on the Damon 2 is slightly different there is a tendency to move the bracket more when placing it. Because a light cure adhesive will start to cure with the ambient light in office, adjusting the bracket placement too much will weaken to bond and make the bracket more susceptible to failure. With the Damon 2, the pad is the used for placement reference. Try to place the bracket in the correct position as quickly as possible minimizing the little adjustments as much as possible. Notice that with the Damon Appliance, the pad is used as the placement reference point. 2. All self-ligating appliances have a slightly higher profile than conventional appliances. This means when curing the adhesive after placing the Damon 2 you need to make sure that you position the curing light right as close to the bracket pad as possible and leave it there for the recommended time. Because of the higher profile, brackets will enter into occlusion more after initial bond and be more susceptible to bond failure. 3. Check your curing lights to see that they are generating the appropriate output for optimal curing.

Permanent Retention
Q: Why do you use bond-a-braid in the upper and stainless steel in the lower for permanent retention? A: When Dr. Damon places the lower lingual retainer, he intends to keep it in place indefinitely. Steel is only bonded to the canines and therefore flossing interference is minimized. Conversely, Dr. Damon plans to eventually remove the .026 bond-a-braid from the upper. Bond-a-braid is bonded to each tooth, lateral to lateral. Since floss can cut through this material, eventual removal is necessary.

Archwires Sequence for Damon .018

Q: What is the recommended archwire sequence for Damon .018 A: There is no one wire sequence in the Damon System. When selecting archwires, the doctor should use the archwire that will keep the case in the Optimal Force Zone. As a guideline we can recommend the following wires:

Initial Phase
.012 Ni-Ti The objective of this wire is to start tooth movement, level, align and begin arch form development. Some clinicians use this wire as the initial archwire in the .018 slot. Many other doctors feel this wire is too small and does not provide enough force to start tooth movement. Dr.

Damon recommends starting cases with an .014 Ni-Ti. .014 Ni-Ti This is the recommended starting archwire. It is used to start tooth movement, level, align and begin arch form development. .016 Ni-Ti This wire is often used as a second wire in very crowded cases when slightly higher forces are needed to continue leveling and aligning. It is very common to use this wire in the lower arch when there is a lot of crowding.

Working Phase
.014 x .025 Ni-Ti This will be the common first rectangular wire used with the .018 slot. It is used in well-prepared arches that are almost completely leveled and aligned. It will be used to work out rotations and begin torque control. .016 x .025 Ni-Ti Can be used when more torque control and arch form development is desired before going to the final stainless steel archwire. If it is difficult to engage the .016 x .025 stainless steel, this is a good option.

Final Phase
.016 x .025 PrePosted Stainless Steel Used to maintain integrity of the arches during anteroposterior correction and closure. Used to gain complete torque control. Finishing Phase 017 x .025 Low-Friction TMA Used when more torque control is required and/or detail wire bends are needed.