June 1994
A .016 tubular Supercable will be fully engaged by all the anterior and first bicuspid brackets and access to the second bicuspids will be left unimpeded.
August 1994
The second bicuspids have been extracted and a .018 Supercable is fully engaged by all brackets except that of the one canine. .030 reinforcing tubes span all but 0.5mm of the interbracket space at the extraction sites.
September 1995
I often find it best to carry out my sliding mechanics on .020 Supercable nickel titanium wires stiffened at the extraction sites by tubes which allow 2 mm of space   closure at a time. The wires are relatively stiff but still need the added rigidity imparted by the tubes in order to generate adequate counter couples to help ensure that tooth translation occurs.
As the mesio-distal play of the tubes diminishes, the spanning wire becomes, in effect, equivalent to a very heavy high-modulus stainless steel wire but without the vulnerability to heavy biting forces. Kinks in stainless steel wires often impede sliding mechanics. .045 x .045 light-force elastomeric thread stretched close to its breaking point generates near optimal force levels for distalizing individual posterior teeth. It does not overpower the SPEED mechanism which maintains continuous contact between the archwire and the entire mesio-distal length of the occlusal wall of each bracket slot.
Treatment & Clinical Photography by: Dr. G. Herbert Hanson