Continuous arch wire technique using the bending art system.

The bending art system (BAS) enables computerized production of individual arch wires for the multiband technique. Treatment planning using the continuous arch technique as part of the bending art system has been described. Planning of the arch wires follows an initial camera picture taken in the patient's mouth, and is divided into the following steps: ideal arch, target arch and course of treatment. The ideal arch establishes the individual shape of the arch wires in the horizontal plane. Based on the input of various small adjustments, the ideal arch is transformed into the target arch which represents the final arch of the treatment. Finally, the sequence of the various arches is established. The geometry of the intermediate arches is calculated on the assumption that each tooth is moved the shortest possible distance during transformation from the initial arch to the target arch. This procedure, called the direct method, is compared with the newly developed indirect method. With the indirect method, the camera picture is taken of the initial cast and the target arch is produced in accordance with a setup model in ideal occlusion. In contrast to the straight-wire technique, treatment with the BAS is not finalized with a straight arch wire since the occlusion of the individual patient rarely complies with the straight-wire norm.