Hesperian Health Guides
The Instruments You Need
When you order, use the proper name. Many companies use numbers to describe the instruments, but a different company may use a different number. If you use the proper name along with the number given here, most companies will understand what you want. (See resources for dental supplies)
The four basic instruments
You can take out most teeth with these 4 instruments:
| A spoon or probe... | ... an elevator... | ... and two forceps |
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150 upper universal forcep |
151 lower universal forcep |
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| Use this to separate the gum from the tooth. | An elevator will loosen a tooth, or lift out a broken root. | Use forceps to pull out the tooth. There is one for upper teeth and one for lower teeth. |
Other forceps can be useful, especially for taking out a strong back tooth. They have pointed beaks that are made to fit between the roots of a back molar. As a result, you can hold onto the larger tooth better.
lower molar hawk's bill forcep
Curved elevators are good for taking out broken roots. You can force their pointed ends more easily between the root and the bone that is holding it.
Unfortunately, forceps and elevators are expensive. If you want to order more than the 4 basic instruments, remember the cost.