Hygiene Atlas

Start here · Tools · Hygiene and scaling

Gracey 15/16

Also called: Gracey 15/16

A modified 11/12 for mesial surfaces of back teeth, with a shank like a 13/14.

The Gracey 15/16 pairs an 11/12-style end for mesial surfaces with a more sharply angled shank, similar to a 13/14. It reaches the mesial surfaces of molars where a standard 11/12 is hard to position, and it often lets the operator keep a normal fulcrum inside the mouth.

How to spot it

  • The shank looks like a 13/14, but it is used on mesial surfaces like an 11/12; read the number on the handle.

What it is used for

Safety and care

  • Critical item (it goes into soft tissue or touches bone): clean it, package it and heat-sterilize it after every patient.
  • Sharp working end: carry it point-down in a closed cassette, and never reach blindly into a pile of instruments.

Related

Sources: Gehrig JS, Shin DE. Fundamentals of Periodontal Instrumentation and Advanced Root Instrumentation, 9th ed. Jones & Bartlett, 2023 (plus Newman & Carranza's Clinical Periodontology), Wikipedia. Periodontal curette (pointer only, CC BY-SA), Dentalcare.com CE569. 15/16 and 17/18 Gracey Curettes