Rotational control seems to be the bane of all available self ligating systems. Correction of rotations very early in treatment is an essentiality which cannot be denied and neither can it be ignored.One needs to use not only effective mechanics but efficient mechanics to correct rotations.
Objective: Use of two archwires simultaneously (tandem wires) to correct rotations. In traditional twin bracket technique, rotations get corrected quickly. With passive self-ligating appliances, the intimate contact between the archwire and the bottom of the bracket slot is no longer possible.With gradual increase in archwire size the rotations eventually get corrected.This archwire progression increases the number of archwires needed to treat the case and also increases the time required for the same.This mechanics can be called effective but one cannot call it efficient. Sometimes one comes across cases where the majority of rotations have corrected but there still remains a minor rotational discrepancy in the lower or upper incisors which keeps on resisting any attempts of derotation.It is in these situations that tandem archwire technique personifies efficiency in its truest sense.
Method: This presentation will illustrate a series of clinical cases treated with the smart clip self ligating brackets wherein obstinate rotations were corrected with tandem wires either.012”+.014” or .014”+.014” heat activated NiTi combinations.The biomechanics of tandem wires would be discussed.
Results: Correction of rotations was faster with minimal archwire changes.These mechanics do not affect intercanine & intermolar widths significantly even in non-extraction cases.
Conclusions: Use of tandem wires in self-ligating brackets is both effective & efficient.