Indications for Use:

Whenever the first leveling or continuous archwire is placed in the upper arch, bent-in or pinch-on stops should be placed mesial to the upper molar buccal tubes. This will prevent the upper molars from sliding forward along the archwire and the subsequent loss of anchorage. These first archwires start the uprighting process in the molar region that will take place over many months.

Technique:

If a stainless steel archwire is used, small vertical steps or omega loops at the buccal tubes will suffice. Where a more resilient (Ni-Ti, Copper Ni-Ti) archwire is needed for leveling and bracket engagement, the archwire is placed without any stops. Pinch-on stops are then placed at the buccal tube.

Considerations:

By placing a stop at the molar, any rebound will be expressed as flaring or forward movement of the upper arch. Therefore, other anchorage techniques must always be used in conjunction with stops on the archwire.

Stops on archwires - Images