Figure 5-5. - Mouth prop.
(fig. 5-6) are lock-type forceps with rubber-covered extensions. The rubber provides protection against injury to the enamel of the teeth. The use of mouth props and gags is by no means limited to surgery. They are also commonly used in restorative and pediatric dentistry when patients have difficulty keeping their mouths open during the procedure.
Surgical scalpels are composed of handles and blades used to incise or excise soft tissues, and come in various sizes and shapes. The use of each type depends upon the type and accessibility of the tissue to be cut. The blades come in presterilized packages and should be discarded after one use. Attach and remove the blades from the handles with hemostatic forceps. This prevents accidental cuts and possible infection. The two commonly used surgical scalpel handles are the #3 and beaver style. Each handle uses a different kind of blade and attachment method.
Figure 5-7. - Scalpel Handle #3 and blades.
The #3 handle, shown in figure 5-7, is short and wide; it uses a slotted blade that slides onto the handle. The four blades most often used with this handle are the #10, #11, #12, and #15. Blades #10 and #15 have similar working ends. The greatest difference is that the #10 blade is longer. The cutting edge on both of the blades is on the curved part of the blade.
Suture needles and materials are packaged in sterile packs with the needles and have already been attached to the suture material. There is a wide variety of both needles and suture materials.
NEEDLES. - Most suture needles used in dentistry are semicircular. They have either smooth sides or cutting sides, and vary greatly as to the diameter of the semicircle, as shown in figure 5-8. The smaller sizes are used most often because of the limited space in the oral cavity.
MATERIALS. - Dentists use suture material with a suture needle to close wounds in and around the oral cavity. Suture materials are usually classified as either absorbable or nonabsorbable. Almost all sutures used in oral surgery are nonabsorbable. These sutures must be removed after the wound heals enough to hold together. Absorbable sutures are dissolved and
Figure 5-6. - Mouth gags.
Figure 5-8. - Suture needles.
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