Several instruments are used for performing different dental surgical procedures, and one of the essential tools is dental retractor.
During oral procedures, retracting instruments are used to hold back cheeks, lips, and tongue. Thus, they help prevent trauma to the soft tissues inside the mouth cavity.
Like other dental tools, these instruments also come in different shapes and sizes to facilitate dentists.
Let’s discuss this in detail.
Types of Retractors Used in Dentistry:
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1. Austin Retractors
These are used for holding back the soft tissues to improve the visibility of the operating site. Austin retractors are available with two prongs and one prong.
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2. Bishop Retractor
The bishop retractor is an “S"-shaped instrument used for keeping away lips and cheeks during an oral procedure. It is a thick tool for better retraction of soft tissues.
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3. Blade Retractor
Blade retractors are available in two varieties, one with teeth and the other that is blunt. These also hold away soft tissues during dental procedures.
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4. Chalazion Retractor
This instrument is for holding away mucoperiosteal flaps, cheeks, and tongue from the surgical site. The chalazion retractor has a serrated handle for a firm grip. Its circular end prevents trauma to soft tissues.
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5. Dental Cheek Retractor
Cheek retractors hold away cheeks to provide better access and visibility to the surgical site within the mouth. They come in different shapes and sizes to suit the operator's needs. Examples include Columbia retractors and bayonet retractors.
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6. Desmarres Retractor
This Desmarres retractor is a slender handheld instrument. It has a concave end to best retract cheeks and lips during the oral procedure.
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7. Farabeuf Retractor
This is an L-shaped instrument that comes in use for tissue retraction during oral surgeries. Multiple layers of tissues can be retracted with Farabeuf Retractor. Also, its blade is ideal for the widening of deep surgical incisions.
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8. Gingival Retractor
The Gingival retractor has a double-ended design. It helps protect soft tissues during cavity preparations and composite placement in teeth.
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9. Langenbeck Green Retractor
This retractor is useful in holding back tissues and organs during surgical procedures. The langenbeck retractor is an L-shaped instrument that also holds away incisions during oral procedures.
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10. Lip Retractor
The lip retractor helps hold away lips during dental procedures. It features an angled frame for a firm grip and effective retraction of lips during the procedure.
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11. Minnesota Retractor
The Minnesota retractor is a thick tongue-like instrument that comes in use for the retraction of tissues. It aids the operator in the visibility of tissues inside the mouth.
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12. Mouthgag Retractor
This is a special instrument with finger rings. Mouthgag retractor is used to hold back lips and cheeks during ora/dental procedures.
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13. Orringer Retractor
It’s a self-retaining retractor used for holding back cheeks, lips, and tongue during dental procedures. Orringer Retractor has a metallic frame that retracts soft tissues from the procedure site.
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14. Plastic Retractor
This is a self-retaining retractor made of plastic so that it can be squeezed and put safely inside the patient's mouth. It retracts away the cheeks and lips to provide access to the surgical site.
The plastic retractor usually comes into use during orthodontic procedures as it exposes the full dentition on activation.
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15. Rake Retractor
The handheld rake retractor is available with sharp and blunt three prongs. The blunt prongs aid in a better retraction of soft tissues, avoiding unnecessary trauma to the soft tissues.
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16. Roux Retractor
This is a handheld retracting tool helpful in holding away incised tissues. It has curved ends on both sides. Roux retractor is available in a set of three.
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17. Shuman Retractor
The Shuman retractor instrument holds away soft tissues, mucoperiosteal flaps, cheeks, lips, and tongue during dental procedures.
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18. Sternberg Retractor
This is a double-ended, “S” shaped instrument. It comes in use for holding away soft tissues during oral procedures.
The ends of the Sternberg retractor tool are rounded to prevent trauma to the surrounding tissue.
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19. Weider Retractor
This instrument helps retract the tongue during oral surgical procedures.
Wierder retractor features a heart-shaped design that is wide enough to easily retract dense tissues such as the tongue and other mucoperiosteal flaps.
All in all, in dentistry, retracting instruments are of immense importance. They are available in different shapes and sizes to meet dentists’ needs.
Instrument Maintenance:
All surgical instruments need maintenance to fruition effectively.
In case of dental exposing and retracting instruments, pre-examination is needed to ensure that the prongs of retractors are correctly aligned.
Other than that, the locking mechanism of the instrument should be inspected before use to ensure the efficiency of the instrument.
We, at GerDentUSA, offer customization option for our instruments. We have earned a reputation in healthcare for manufacturing quality dental instruments.
