The influence of preloading on stress relaxation of orthodontic elastic polymers.

The main objective of the investigation was the determination of whether prestretching would decrease the rapid force loss of the elastic polymers. The results indicated that Alastik CK chains showed a significant decrease in force loss whereas the C2 chains were unaffected. Since overextending the chain to compensate for force loss during clinical placement could result in capillary bed ischemia, increasing the force loss of the CK chains must be done before application. To accomplish this the chains should be prestretched by the manufacturer or operator. An improvement in the material component or manufacturing process would provide a more lasting solution to a material for which orthodontists have found increasing use.