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Retractors designed to temporarily separate and hold back the tongue, exposing and providing access to other tissues, teeth, or oral structures during dental and/or oral surgical procedures. These retractors are available as handheld manual instruments including a curved, blunt, frequently serrated, distal blade and an integral curved handle. Some retractors incorporate a fiber optic cable to provide illumination during surgery. Tongue retractors are used to avoid injuries to the tongue and also for nasal antrum surgical procedures. Dedicated tongue retractors intended to protect the lingual nerve during molar (e.g., third molar) extractions are also available.
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