Cawood-Minnesota Cheek Retractor, Double Ended

What a Cawood-Minnesota cheek retractor is

An oral surgeon needs one thing held back on the outside of the jaw and another on the inside, and both move. The Minnesota retractor handles that with two different ends on one flat bar: one shaped for the cheek and the flap, one for the tongue side. Turning it round is quicker than reaching for a second instrument.

Google AI Mode, read on 3 November 2026, calls the Cawood-Minnesota retractor a double ended dental and maxillofacial instrument that holds back the cheeks, the lips, the tongue and mucoperiosteal flaps. It describes one end shaped for pressing the tongue down and one smooth curved end for the cheek, lip and flap. It adds that compared with the standard University of Minnesota retractor, the Cawood version has a longer central handle.

This is the pattern behind the minnesota retractor that buyers search for, and behind the minnesota cheek retractor and minnesota retractor dental forms of the same request. Gemini lists it in oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontics and implant surgery. Ours is a flat steel bar at 6 dollars.

Key design features

Two different ends

In our photograph the bar has a narrower curved end and a wider end. The curved end fits under a raised flap or against the cheek at the back of the mouth. The wider end takes a broader hold, on the tongue or the lip. One instrument covers both jobs. In a wisdom tooth case the assistant can hold the cheek and flap with the curved end while the bone is cut, then turn the bar round and hold the tongue side while the socket is cleaned, without the instrument leaving the hand.

A flat S shaped bar

The bar runs in an S, so each end leaves the handle at its own angle. The line drawing beside our photograph shows that side profile. The bend carries the end into the mouth while the hand stays low and out of the light. A straight bar would bring the hand up in front of the mouth, between the surgeon and the site.

The handle is the middle

There is no separate handle. The straight middle of the S is the grip, flat and wide enough for the thumb and fingers. The AI Mode answer notes that the Cawood pattern has a longer handle than the University of Minnesota retractor, which gives the hand more room and more leverage on a heavy cheek.

One piece, one price

The whole retractor is one flat piece of stainless steel with no joint and no coating. At 6 dollars it is one of the two lowest priced retractors in the family, which makes it easy to keep a spare on every surgical tray. Flat stock also stacks on a tray without tangling, unlike wire frames.

Which one to order

The listing carries one size, read on 3 November 2026. It gives no length or width, and we do not print one until we have measured it. Order one per surgical tray, and a second if the assistant and the surgeon each hold one side.

Where it is used

Gemini, read on 3 November 2026, places the Cawood-Minnesota in oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontics and implant surgery, on the cheeks, the lips, mucoperiosteal flaps and the edges of the tongue.

What it holds back, and what it must not do

It holds soft tissue on either side of the jaw. It does not open the mouth and it does not move bone.

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 Cawood-Minnesota 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.

It is plain flat stock with no coating and no joint. The edges of both ends are what touch the tissue, so look along them before each case: a nick or a bent corner will catch the mucosa.

Caring for it

Rinse it as soon as the case ends, while blood and bone dust are still wet. Brush both faces of each end and the inside of each bend. Dry it, steam sterilize it on the normal instrument cycle, and look at both ends before it goes back on the tray. An end that has been bent flatter or tighter will not sit where it should, so set it aside rather than bend it back by hand.

Ordering and wholesale

The Cawood-Minnesota 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 Cawood-Minnesota retractor used for?

Like any Minnesota retractor, the Cawood-Minnesota cheek retractor holds back the cheek, the lip, the tongue and a raised flap during oral surgery: wisdom tooth removal, implant placement, periodontal flap work and surgery on the tongue side of the jaw. One flat bar carries a different end at each side for those jobs.

What is the difference between the Cawood-Minnesota and the University of Minnesota retractor?

Google AI Mode, read on 3 November 2026, says the Cawood version has a longer central handle than the standard University of Minnesota retractor, which gives the hand more room and more leverage. Both are flat double ended bars. We list the Cawood-Minnesota only, at 6 dollars.

Which end is for the tongue?

The AI Mode answer gives one end as shaped for pressing the tongue down and the other as a smooth curve for the cheek, lip and flap. On ours, the wider end takes the broader hold and the narrower curved end goes under a flap or against the cheek. Look at the photograph on the listing before the first case.

Is a Cawood-Minnesota cheek retractor the same as a Minnesota cheek retractor?

It is one of the Minnesota patterns. Buyers shorten it to Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota retractor is the other pattern under that name. If your list says Cawood-Minnesota, this is the one; if it says University of Minnesota, check the handle length you need.

Can it be autoclaved?

Yes. It 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 both ends and both bends first, and dry it before it is packed.

Related products and categories

Three more retractors from the same family: the Ward lip and cheek retractor, the Middeldorpf cheek retractor and the Kirsch cheek retractor. The rest of the range is under maxillofacial instruments, which sits inside our ENT instruments.