# For what reasons would a loose archwire straighten itself? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559 "2017-02-11T17:17:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yonathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a8b319/32.png) [@Yonathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yonathan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/1 "2017-02-11T17:17:34Z")
Everybody loves slipstream fiction, right? Let’s pretend that a kid has braces, and because of chewing pecans one of his archwires became loose. The next morning, the archwire is straight for what seems to be no reason, with no pain. What should the kid assume assuming that he lives in an otherwise normal world? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/2 "2017-02-11T17:19:45Z")
[Maybe it got hot?](http://www.cherrycreeksmiles.com/blog/what-are-the-advantages-of-nitinol-wires-for-braces) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/3 "2017-02-11T17:36:07Z")
I would think in an otherwise normal world, the kid would be confused and afraid about something so nonsensical happening. ---
**Author:** ![Yonathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a8b319/32.png) [@Yonathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yonathan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/4 "2017-02-11T21:43:38Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > [Maybe it got hot?](http://www.cherrycreeksmiles.com/blog/what-are-the-advantages-of-nitinol-wires-for-braces) How hot? The article doesn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/5 "2017-02-11T21:53:05Z")
> [@Yonathan](#): > > How hot? The article doesn’t say. I don’t know the transition temperature of archwires, the the material itself can be made in a wide variety of temperatures. > [@](#): > > Nitinol is typically composed of approximately 50 to 51% nickel by atomic percent (55 to 56% weight percent).[11][12] Making small changes in the composition can change the transition temperature of the alloy significantly. One can control the Af temperature in nitinol to some extent, but convenient superelastic temperature ranges are from about −20 °C to +60 °C. From: [Nickel titanium - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_titanium) ---
**Author:** ![Yonathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a8b319/32.png) [@Yonathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yonathan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/6 "2017-02-11T21:57:50Z")
So no mouth? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/7 "2017-02-11T22:01:17Z")
> [@Yonathan](#): > > So no mouth? I doubt it, since they don’t want the wire straightening inside the mouth, but maybe a very hot beverage could do it. IAMNAD… ---
**Author:** ![Yonathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a8b319/32.png) [@Yonathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yonathan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/8 "2017-02-11T22:13:23Z")
Okay, no rational explanation. Off of physics, on to (or “onto”?) psychology. How would a rational individual respond to that? Would it be more like a shrug-off or a freak-out? I have been so used to writing fiction where weird stuff is normal that I forgot how normal people react to weird stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/9 "2017-02-11T22:15:29Z")
“Huh. Guess I didn’t bust it after all. Weird.” ---
**Author:** ![Yonathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a8b319/32.png) [@Yonathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yonathan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-what-reasons-would-a-loose-archwire-straighten-itself/779559/10 "2017-02-11T22:20:06Z")
Thanks, by the way.