Gracey Curette
Pronunciation: GRAY-see kyoo-RET
An area-specific hand instrument used in periodontal scaling and root planing, designed with a single cutting edge offset at 70° to adapt to specific tooth surfaces.
Full Definition
Gracey curettes are a set of area-specific periodontal instruments developed by Clayton Gracey, each numbered to correspond to a particular region of the dentition (e.g., Gracey 1/2 for anterior teeth, 11/12 for mesial surfaces of posterior teeth). Unlike universal curettes, each Gracey curette is engineered for use on specific surfaces, with the blade offset from the shank to facilitate subgingival adaptation. Editors will encounter Gracey curette numbers in clinical notes, instrument inventories, and continuing education materials. Correct formatting uses a numeral pair separated by a slash (e.g., 'Gracey 13/14'), not a hyphen or 'and.'
Usage
Usage note: Always use a slash between the number pair (e.g., Gracey 11/12). Capitalise 'Gracey' as it is an eponym derived from the inventor's name.
In Context
- "The clinician selected a Gracey 7/8 curette to access the buccal and lingual surfaces of the upper premolars." — Instrumentation technique guide
- "The procedure manual listed 'Gracey 13-14' — the editor corrected the hyphen to a slash per standard instrument nomenclature." — Clinical procedure manual copy-edit