3M Unitek Archwire Hooks and Stops Wire, Crimpable
Archwire hook and stop wire available in crimpable, split crimpable and weldable patterns, used to add hooks or positional stops onto an archwire.
This product is a length of wire used to form hooks or stops directly onto an archwire wherever the treatment plan calls for an attachment point that is not already built into a bracket, such as a place to hook an elastic or a stop to prevent unwanted wire sliding. It is offered in three patterns to suit different placement techniques: the crimpable pattern is closed around the archwire with a crimping plier, the split crimpable pattern is designed so it can be placed onto the wire without removing the archwire from the mouth first, and the weldable pattern is intended to be spot welded onto a band or wire assembly.
The split crimpable version in particular saves chair time because the clinician does not need to fully remove and rethread the archwire just to add a hook mid-treatment, using a crimping plier or a dull hard wire cutter to close it in place. Hooks and stops made from this wire are a routine part of orthodontic mechanics, used to anchor elastics, prevent unwanted tooth movement along the wire, or mark a reference point for space management.
The range of catalog numbers reflects the different wire gauges and patterns stocked.
