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Gracey 11/12
Also called: Gracey 11/12, mesial Gracey
The Gracey for the mesial (front-facing) surfaces of back teeth.
The Gracey 11/12 has a strongly bent shank that reaches the mesial surfaces (the sides facing the front of the mouth) of premolars and molars. Some makers also sell an 11/14 or 12/13 combination that pairs a mesial end with a distal end.
How to spot it
- A long, complex shank with several bends so the blade reaches around back teeth.
- Gracey 11/12 vs. 13/14: the 13/14 shank is more sharply angled so it can wrap around to distal surfaces; always confirm with the number on the handle.
What it is used for
- Scaling and root planing mesial surfaces of posterior teeth.
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), Alharbi H. Periodontal Hand Instruments (lecture handout). King Saud University, 2016-2017, Hu-Friedy Group. Standard Gracey curettes product category, Dentalcare.com CE569. 15/16 and 17/18 Gracey Curettes