Fine Ligature Wire Cutter

Soft ligature wire, the small tie wire used to secure an archwire to a bracket. This cutter has a narrow, fine cutting head for that job. The ligature is a different workpiece from the main archwire, and that difference should guide which instrument you choose.

No. A ligature cutter trims soft tie wire, while a distal-end cutter is a separate pattern for cutting the end of an archwire. The workpiece and the head design differ, and a fine head does not give a ligature cutter an archwire rating or a cut-and-hold feature.

A narrow head gives a small cutting contact for fine ligature wire, which is the feature to compare with bulkier cutter heads when you choose a tool for that wire. Head shape does not give a rated wire diameter or guarantee a flush cut.

TC stands for tungsten carbide. This cutter is specified with a TC working end and a narrow, fine cutting head. TC describes how the working end is made; the fine-ligature pattern is what identifies the soft tie wire the cutter is intended for.

Compare the wire material and the maximum diameter stated for the exact cutter model, in the same units, and keep soft-wire and hard-wire ratings apart. No numerical capacity is established for this fine ligature cutter, so another manufacturer's rating cannot be used as its cutting limit.