US Patent 9254182 Orthodontic archwire

An orthodontic archwire is configured to be inserted into an archwire slot of an orthodontic bracket and is configured to be elastically compressed in a plane that is generally parallel to the plane of the arch form of the archwire. The archwire may include a first exterior surface, a second exterior surface spaced from the first exterior surface, and a resilient element disposed between the first and second exterior surfaces, wherein the resilient element is elastically deformable such that a distance between the first and second exterior surfaces may be decreased upon application of a compressive force on the archwire.