What are cord packers?

Cord packers seat retraction cord into the gingival sulcus to displace tissue and control moisture before an impression. A serrated working edge is the important feature: it grips the cord and pushes it down rather than sliding along and dragging it back out of the sulcus, which is the usual frustration with a smooth instrument.

How the cord packers range is organised

Bloomfield:

#B1 and #B2 serrated off-angle, in 9.5mm hollow handles.

Serrated firm-grip:

#B1 serrated, #B2 serrated off-angle, #C1.

By region:

#1 posterior, #2 anterior, #1 Yardley.

Choosing the right cord packer

Off-angle heads reach the buccal and lingual of posterior teeth where a straight head cannot approach the sulcus squarely. Use a serrated edge in preference to a smooth one for anything but the finest cord. Work around the tooth in one direction, tucking rather than pushing down, and hold the packed section with the instrument while advancing the next.