Cheek Retractor 22 cm, Hook End

What a 22 cm cheek retractor is

Most cheek retractors are sold by their pattern name. The cheek retractor 22cm is sold by its length, because the length is what a buyer is choosing. At 22 cm it is one of the longer hand held retractors in our family, and it is made for work at the back of the mouth, where a short instrument puts the assistant’s fingers in the surgeon’s way.

Google AI Mode, read on 3 November 2026, answers the query for a 22 cm cheek retractor by calling it an extra long dental and surgical instrument for intraoral exposure in oral surgery, implantology, orthodontics and clinical photography. It says the length keeps the assistant’s hands clear of the site. It also lists a Middeldorpf at 22 cm, and our photograph shows the same curled hook look. Our Middeldorpf listing sells a 22 cm size with a 20 x 22 mm blade, if you want the pattern by name.

Buyers who type metal cheek retractor, or metal dental cheek retractors, are usually separating steel from the plastic retractors used for whitening and aligners. This is the steel kind: an autoclavable cheek retractor that goes back on the tray after the cycle, not into the bin.

Key design features

Twenty two centimeters long

The length is in the name, cheek retractor 22cm, and it is the reason to order it. The extra reach lets the assistant hold the cheek from beside the patient’s head, so the light, the suction and the surgeon’s hands all have room in front of the mouth.

A small curled hook end

In our photograph the working end is a small curled hook at the top of a long slim shaft. The curl sits against the inside of the cheek and holds it without a wide blade in front of the work, and the slim shaft leaves room beside it for other instruments.

An open loop handle

The handle is an open loop that takes the whole hand. It is light for its length, and it gives a steady pull over a long case without the fingers cramping on a narrow bar.

Metal, one piece, reusable

End, shaft and handle are one piece of stainless steel, with no joint and no coating. That is what makes it reusable: it goes through the steam cycle with the rest of the tray, where a plastic cheek retractor would be thrown away after one patient.

Cheek retractor sizes in this family

Buyers ask about cheek retractor sizes because length decides how far back an instrument reaches. These are the lengths our listings state, read on 3 November 2026. A dash in the family table means the listing gives no length.

Where it is used

Gemini, read on 3 November 2026, places a long hook end cheek retractor in oral and maxillofacial, orthognathic and trauma surgery, on the deep buccal mucosa, the cheek muscle layers and the edges of a vestibular flap.

What it holds back, and what it must not do

A long retractor holds the cheek. It is not a mouth prop and not a lever.

How it compares with the rest of the family

Ten hand held cheek and lip retractors make up this family on our site. The ends are read off each listing’s own photograph, the lengths off the name or the variations, and the prices off the order form, on 3 November 2026.

Materials and finish

Every 22 cm cheek retractor we make is formed from high quality medical grade stainless steel. The steel itself is made to a German specification. We do not publish a grade number.

The finish is plain steel. The curled end and the loop handle are formed from the same piece as the shaft, so there is no joint where blood can sit and nothing that can work loose in the washer.

Caring for it

Rinse the retractor as soon as the case ends, before blood dries inside the curl. Brush the inside of the hook and the inside of the loop handle, where a cloth does not reach. Dry it, steam sterilize it on the normal instrument cycle, and look at the end before it goes back on the tray. A hook that has been bent out of shape can catch the mucosa, so set it aside rather than bend it back by hand.

Ordering and wholesale

The 22 cm cheek retractor is made by Adas Instruments in our own workshop and sold direct, which is why the price sits where it does against the catalog houses. Order one for a single tray, or in quantity for a hospital list or a distributor line. We do OEM work under your own brand and your own item numbers. Send us a sample and we will hold a run to your pattern rather than ours. Stock items ship from our own workshop. Backorder items take 10 to 12 working days to make. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 22 cm cheek retractor used for?

It holds the cheek and the lip out of the way during oral surgery, implant placement, surgical extractions, jaw surgery through the mouth and photography of the back teeth. The 22 cm length lets the assistant hold it from beside the patient’s head, which leaves the space in front of the mouth to the surgeon.

What are the different types of cheek retractors?

Hand held metal ones come as hook ends like this one and the Middeldorpf, flat right angled blades like the Kirsch and the Kay Austin, wire frames like the Sternberg, and double ended bars like the Ward and the Cawood-Minnesota. Plastic retractors that stretch both lips at once are a separate product for photography and whitening.

Is the 22 cm cheek retractor the same as a Middeldorpf?

It has the same look in our photograph: a small curled hook end on a slim shaft with a loop handle. Our Middeldorpf listing also sells a 22 cm size, with a 20 x 22 mm blade, at the same 24 dollars. If your list names the Middeldorpf, order from that listing so the name matches.

Is a metal cheek retractor better than a plastic one?

They do different jobs. A plastic retractor stretches both lips for photographs and whitening and is thrown away. A metal cheek retractor holds the cheek on one side for surgery, takes the pull of a long case, and goes through the steam cycle to be used again.

Can the 22 cm cheek retractor be autoclaved?

Yes. The cheek retractor 22cm is one piece of stainless steel with no joint, screw or coating, and it goes through the normal steam cycle with the rest of the tray. Rinse it and brush inside the curl and the loop first, and dry it before it is packed.

Related products and categories

Three more retractors from the same family: the Bowdler-Henry cheek retractor, the Buchs cheek retractor and the Sternberg cheek retractor. The rest of the range is under maxillofacial instruments, which sits inside our ENT instruments.