Mishandled elevators | British Dental Journal

Sir, I read with interest the letter _Mishandled Luxators_1 that paints a picture of dentist incompetence through ubiquitous use of Luxators. I would like to add further to this by

highlighting the misuse of elevators. (R) and (L) Warwick James ideally used for maxillary third molars can often break while luxating a bulky third molar with multiple roots. An ideal

approach would be to use a straight elevator that can combine a downward and distal rotation, thereby uniformly luxating the tooth. The blade of Warwick James or a Cryer's are designed

to apply only distal rotation which in due process can risk the fracture of the maxillary tuberosity. The no. 9 Molt periosteal elevator, as the name suggests, is ideally used to reflect a

mucoperiosteal flap but is as often misused as Luxators and elevators. They often become blunt, bent or can traumatise the soft tissues due to inadequate finger rest. This letter focuses on

the specific use of elevators rather than diversifying its applications for all surgical procedures. REFERENCES * Parmar P, Majumdar A . OMFS: Mishandled luxators. _Br Dent J_ 2017; 222:

745. Article  Google Scholar  Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * by email, S. S. Shetty Authors * S. S. Shetty View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Shetty, S. Mishandled elevators. _Br Dent J_ 222, 910 (2017).

https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.524 Download citation * Published: 23 June 2017 * Issue Date: 23 June 2017 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.524 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you

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