Objective: To assess the force, resilience, and elasticity modulus produced by the Coffin appliance, “W” arch, and quad-helix made with 0.032-inch and 0.036-inch stainless steel wire.
Materials and Methods: Two groups of 15 arches were made as Coffin appliances, two groups of 15 arches were made as “W” arches, and two groups of 15 arches were made as quad-helices. One group of each appliance was formed in 0.032-inch and one group in 0.036-inch stainless steel wire. All arches (6 groups of 15 each) were submitted to compression trials in the mechanical testing machine EMIC DL-10000, simulating 5-, 8-, 10-, and 12-mm activation. The force and resilience means received a one-way ANOVA statistical analysis.
Results: The results showed that the mechanical properties depended on the shape of the appliance, the diameter of the wire used, and the amount of activation.
Conclusions: The three appliances assessed produce appropriate forces for orthodontic treatment as long as they are correctly planned during clinical application.
