An orthodontic archwire is a wire conforming to the alveolar or dental arch that can be used withdental braces as a source of force in correcting irregularities in the position of the teeth. An archwire can also be used to maintain existing dental positions; in this case it has a retentivepurpose.

Orthodontic archwires may be fabricated from several alloys, most commonly stainless steel,nickel-titanium alloy (NiTi), and beta-titanium alloy (composed primarily of titanium andmolybdenum).