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Pigtail and cowhorn explorers (#2, #3A) and Orban explorer
Also called: pigtail explorer, cowhorn explorer, #2 explorer, #3A explorer, Orban 17/20
Small curved explorers for shallow pockets and between teeth; the Orban suits front teeth.
The pigtail and cowhorn explorers have short, curved tips that wrap around a tooth to check the contact areas (where teeth touch) and shallow pockets. The Orban explorer has a straight-looking shank with the tip bent at a right angle, which slips into narrow pockets on front teeth. All of them are used to feel, not to measure.
How to spot it
- Pigtail: a small tip curled like a pig's tail.
- Cowhorn: a larger, more open curve, like a horn.
- Orban: a long straight shank with a short tip bent at a right angle (90 degrees) to the shank.
What it is used for
- Checking proximal (side) surfaces and margins between teeth.
- Orban: checking narrow pockets on front 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 / dental hygiene explorer teaching materials: Orban explorer tip bent 90 degrees to the lower shank, anterior subgingival use. Search-result text of CUNY City Tech DEN 1100 Explorer Session 3