Patent ID: 8591226

Claim:
A method for correlating an extension of an orthodontic archwire to a force applied to achieve said extension, comprising the steps of: creating marks on said orthodontic archwire, said marks being located on said orthodontic archwire and in proximity to a loop spring located in said orthodontic archwire, said orthodontic archwire further comprising notches or protrusions on an occlusal side for mounting to an immovable fixture; mounting said orthodontic archwire to said immovable fixture; activating, incrementally, said orthodontic archwire by increasing force to said orthodontic archwire resulting in incrementally increased openings of said loop spring; measuring tension, using a universal testing machine, in said orthodontic archwire having said loop spring and correlating said measured tension with each incremental opening; and, creating loading and unloading curves by recording said force applied versus the distance between said marks for each applied force.