What are extraction forceps?

Extraction forceps are the instruments used to grasp a tooth at the cervical line and deliver it from the socket. Beaks are shaped to the crown and root anatomy of one position in the arch, which is why the range runs to dozens of patterns rather than a handful of sizes: a beak that seats correctly on an upper central will not adapt to a lower molar. US Elite stocks the standard American numbered patterns alongside the English and Mead ranges, in adult and pediatric sizes.

How the extraction forceps range is organised

Upper anterior and premolar:

#1, #65, #99C, #150 and the #150A / #150S / #150AS split-beak variants, #286, #62 universal.

Upper molar, side-specific:

#53L and #53R, #88L and #88R split beak, #18L and #18R Harris, #89 and #90, #32A, #85A.

Upper molar, universal:

#10S and #10H hook handle, #24, #32, and #210S / #210H for third molars.

Lower anterior and premolar:

#151 with its #151A / #151S / #151AS variants, #13, #38 tapered beak, #103, #203.

Lower molar:

#15, #17, #22, #73, #217, #3FS Woodward, #222 for third molars, and the #16 / #23 cow horn patterns.

Roots and fragments:

#33, #46L, #49U, #74 and #74N narrow beak, #145, #97 English pattern, #116 and #120 Witzel.

Pediatric:

#A, #B, #C, #E, #F and #H mini universals, #150S / #151S, #16S, #150XAS / #151XAS split beaks.

Choosing the right extraction forcep

Work from the tooth, not the number. Fix the arch first, then the position, then decide whether you want a universal pattern that covers both sides or a left/right pair that seats more precisely — #53L/#53R and #88L/#88R exist because a matched pair adapts to the palatal root in a way a universal cannot. Cow horn patterns (#16, #23) are the exception to beak-on-crown logic: the pointed beaks engage the bifurcation of a lower molar and elevate as they close. If you are equipping a new operatory rather than replacing one instrument, the Mead universals (#MD1–#MD4) cover all four quadrants in four handles.