# Types of Extraction Forceps > Extraction forceps for BDS Oral Surgery: parts, beak design, maxillary and mandibular patterns with classic numbers, grips and movements in exodontia. - Canonical URL: https://prepelephant.com/topics/bds/oral-surgery/extraction-forceps-types - Exam / course: BDS · Subject: Oral Surgery - Publisher: PrepElephant (https://prepelephant.com) — Prepared and reviewed by the PrepElephant Academic Review Team - First published: 2026-10-02 - Last updated: 2026-10-02 - How to cite: "Types of Extraction Forceps", PrepElephant, https://prepelephant.com/topics/bds/oral-surgery/extraction-forceps-types ## Direct answer Every extraction forceps, whatever its catalogue number, does one job: it grasps the root surface below the cementoenamel junction and transmits controlled expanding and tractional forces to the tooth. The instrument has three parts — beaks, hinge or joint, and handles — and each part is shaped by the tooth it serves. Maxillary forceps are held with the palm beneath the handle, mandibular forceps with the palm above, because the beak must curve appropriately to reach the tooth; the beaks engage root structure, never the enamel crown. Indian dental colleges teach a standard numbering set — the straight No. 1 for upper anteriors, No. 150 upper premolar, 53R/53L or 18R/18L upper molars, 151 lower premolar, 17 lower molar, and the cowhorn 23 — though numbering varies slightly between English and American patterns. ## What you must remember - **Parts and design logic:** beaks (adapted to root morphology, one beak into the buccal or lingual sulcus), hinge (position dictates reach), handles (give leverage and grip); maxillary forceps often have perpendicular or bayonet hinges to clear the cheek and lower jaw. - **Beak principle:** forceps engage the cementum of the root below the cementoenamel junction — grasping enamel crushes the crown of a brittle tooth and gives a slipping purchase. - **Upper anteriors and canines:** the straight forceps No. 1, whose beaks lie in the same line as the handles, used with a straightforward rotatory movement since the conical root rotates. - **Upper premolars and universal use:** No. 150, slightly angled; upper molars need side-specific forceps — 53R and 53L (or 18R/18L) — because the beak with the pointed tip must seat into the buccal bifurcation of the matched side. - **Lower anteriors and premolars:** No. 151, beaks at right angles to the handles for the downward reach. - **Lower molars:** No. 17 with broad beaks astride the buccal and lingual surfaces; the cowhorn No. 23 has pointed beaks that wedge into the bifurcation to literally lift the tooth by the septum — reserved for fully formed bifurcations. - **Root and paediatric patterns:** bayonet-shaped upper root forceps and smaller paediatric molar forceps exist; numbering differs between manufacturers and textbooks, so quote designs and principles rather than only numbers. - **Movements:** apical seating force first, then buccolingual (or buccopalatal) expansion, gentle rotation where the root is conical, and finally traction delivery — never force without control. ## Matching forceps to a mixed extraction list Imagine the morning OPD list: an upper left canine, an upper right first molar, a lower right first molar, and a lower left premolar. Choosing instruments is itself an exam question. The canine takes the No. 1 — its long conical root allows generous rotation, so you seat apically, rotate, and deliver buccally. The upper molar demands the correct side forceps: for the right first molar, 53R (or 18R), the pointed beak passing into the buccal bifurcation while the broader beak embraces the palatal root; buccopalatal expansion followed by a buccal delivery protects the sinus. The lower molar takes the No. 17 with buccolingual expansion, or the cowhorn 23 if the bifurcation is robust enough to seat its horns fully — the cowhorn works by wedging and traction, so an ankylosed or fused-root molar defeats it. The lower premolar takes 151, again predominantly rotatory but delivered cautiously, since these slender roots snap. Written this way, each choice encodes a biomechanical fact: root shape drives movement selection, beak shape drives forceps selection. That coupling — which forceps, which movement, and why — is precisely the viva dialogue. ## High-yield viva angles Examiners delight in "why" questions about forceps. Why are upper molar forceps side-specific? Because maxillary molars have two buccal roots and one palatal root, and only a beak seated into that buccal bifurcation gains a secure purchase on the correct side. Why is the cowhorn effective but selective? Its pointed beaks act as wedges in the bifurcation, so it demands an intact septum and cannot be used on fused or divergent roots, or where the neighbouring tooth could be engaged by mistake. Which forceps would you extract a deciduous molar with, and why a smaller pattern — because the buccal and lingual plates are thinner and the roots flank the successor follicle. A persistent old favourite: name the instrument used for each tooth on a chart in under a minute. Finally, avoid writing only numbers in theory answers — a sentence on beak design earns the mark that a bare "53L" does not. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which parts make up an extraction forceps, and what does each do? Beaks grasp the root below the cementoenamel junction, the hinge determines the angle of reach toward the tooth, and the handles provide the grip and leverage through which force is applied. ### Why are upper molar forceps right- and left-specific? Each maxillary molar has a buccal root bifurcation and a single palatal root, so the forceps for that side carries a pointed beak that wedges into the bifurcation while the rounded beak seats on the palatal root. ### How does the cowhorn forceps work? Its pointed beaks are driven into the molar bifurcation and, on closing and squeezing, act as wedges that grip the septum and push the tooth from its socket — hence it suits lower molars with a solid intact bifurcation. ### Which movements are used during forceps extraction? Seat the beaks apically to gain depth, expand the socket with buccolingual or buccopalatal movements, rotate the tooth where its root is conical, and deliver with gentle traction in the line of the arch. ### Why should forceps not grasp the enamel crown? Enamel is brittle on a carious or endodontically treated tooth, so crown grasping shatters the crown, converts a closed extraction into a surgical one, and offers a slipping, unsafe purchase.