Ace the DAT 2025 – Your Ultimate Dental Adventure Awaits!

The instrument primarily used to extract a tooth is the elevator. Elevators play a crucial role in the extraction process by loosening the tooth from the periodontal ligament, which helps facilitate the extraction. They are designed to apply leverage and can be used to assist in lifting the tooth from its socket.

While other instruments such as forceps are commonly associated with tooth extractions, the elevator is typically used first to enable ease of removal by expanding the socket and diminishing the attachment between the tooth and the bone. After the elevator has loosened the tooth, forceps may then be used to grasp and fully extract the tooth. Understanding the function of the elevator is essential for grasping the process of tooth extraction in dental practice.

The other instruments listed have different primary functions — for instance, scalpels are used for making incisions, scissors are used for cutting tissue, and while forceps can be involved in extraction, they serve primarily as the tool employed after the tooth has been adequately loosened.