What is that plastic thing that dentists put into someones mouth to hold the lips open?

It looks like two half moons kind of, that hold the lips open so you can examine teeth easier and reveals all of the gums. you see it alot when dentists need to take a picture of someones teeth.

What is that plastic thing that dentists put into someones mouth to hold the lips open?
It's a cheek retractor, available on-line from http://www.practicon.com in several sizes and styles.


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Reply:I HATE that horrid contraption!!!





I don't know what it's called, but they use it for braces (putting on and taking off). When I had my braces put on, I had that thing in for like 35 minutes. When they took it out they gave me a small cup of water and a drain to spit in. My lips were completely dried out, and I just drooled the water all over me! XD
Reply:they're called lip extractors. You need them to get a good pic of the teeth
Reply:its called a retractor, it keeps the lips away from the teeth if the dentist is doing a procedure that requires the teeth to remain dry, while putting braces on is where its used mostly, also used for fillings or crown/vaneer preperations....



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