166 Where There Is No Dentist 2012
Front teeth come
straight out
Back teeth usually come
out toward the cheek
When you remove lower molars with the lower molar ‘cow-horn’ forcep,
you use it in a different way:
• Fit the points under the gum,
between the tooth’s roots.
• Squeeze the handles gently
and move them up and down,
then side to side. This will force
the points of the forcep further
between the roots and lift the
tooth up and out.
Note: some lower molars come out
toward the tongue.
Warning: Do not use the
‘cowhorn’ forcep to take out a baby
molar. Its points can damage the
permanent tooth growing under it.
When the tooth comes out, look carefully at its roots to see if you have
broken any part off and left it behind. Whenever possible, take out
broken roots so that they do not cause infection Iater inside the bone.