Simplex Cheek Retractor, U Shaped Blade

What a Simplex cheek retractor is

The lip is the first thing in the way of any work on the front teeth, and it does not need a long instrument to move it. The Simplex is short and flat, with a forked blade that sits on either side of the lip and draws it out. It has one end, one blade and no moving part.

Google AI Mode, read on 3 November 2026, gives it as the Martin-Simplex lip and cheek retractor, a hand held instrument for dental, oral, maxillofacial and plastic surgery that pulls back the lips and cheeks without trauma. It describes a concave or U shaped blade, a solid flat or fenestrated handle, and lengths of 10 or 11 cm on the market. Our listing gives no length, so we do not print one.

Buyers looking for a martin simplex retractor, a simplex retractor or a lip retractor dental teams use at the chair are looking at the same thing. Gemini gives it as the lip pattern of the family, and in a search for a lip retractor in metal rather than plastic, this is the small steel one.

Key design features

A forked U shaped blade

In our photograph the blade at the top is forked into a U, with a curved face. The two prongs of the U sit on either side of the lip, so it is held across its width rather than at one point. The curve follows the lip and keeps it off the teeth. Held at one point, a lip folds and slips back over the tooth; held across its width, it stays where it was put, which is what a filling or a veneer on a front tooth needs while the material sets.

One flat piece

The blade and the handle are one flat plate, with no joint and no wire. It lies flat on a tray, it is hard to bend by accident, and there is nowhere for blood to hide except the inside of the fork, which is easy to brush.

A tapered handle with a hole

The handle narrows toward its end, where there is a round hole. The hole lets it hang on a rack or a hook between cases, and gives a finger a point to rest against when the lip pulls back. The taper keeps the handle narrow at the end the hand holds and wider near the blade, where the plate takes the pull of the lip.

Small, for the front of the mouth

It is a small retractor, made for the lip and the front and side teeth. For the cheek at the back of the mouth, a longer pattern such as the Middeldorpf or our 22 cm cheek retractor reaches further. Used in pairs, two Simplex retractors hold the upper and lower lip, or the two corners of the mouth, while the surgeon works.

Which one to order

The listing carries one size, read on 3 November 2026. It gives no length, and we do not print one until we have measured it. At 6 dollars, a clinic can keep two at each chair.

Where it is used

Gemini, read on 3 November 2026, places the Simplex in general dentistry, oral surgery and restorative dentistry, on the lips, the edges of the cheek and the corners of the mouth.

What it holds back, and what it must not do

The Simplex is a lip retractor. It is not made for the back of the mouth or for a heavy pull.

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 Simplex 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. The edges of the fork are what touches the lip, so look at them before each case: a nick there will catch the mucosa.

Caring for it

Rinse it as soon as the case ends. Brush the inside of the fork and the hole in the handle. Dry it, steam sterilize it on the normal instrument cycle, and look at the blade before it goes back on the tray. A fork that has been bent open or closed will not hold the lip evenly, so set it aside rather than bend it back by hand.

Ordering and wholesale

The Simplex 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 Simplex cheek retractor used for?

It pulls back the lip and the edge of the cheek on one side of the mouth for work on the front and side teeth: fillings and veneers, suturing inside the lip, small biopsies and photographs of the front teeth. The forked blade holds the lip across its width so it stays off the teeth.

Is the Simplex the same as the Martin-Simplex retractor?

Yes. Martin-Simplex is the full name Google AI Mode gives for the pattern, and Simplex is the short form. Ours is the flat one piece version with a forked U shaped blade and a tapered handle, at 6 dollars.

How long is the Simplex cheek retractor?

Our listing does not state a length, and we do not print one we have not measured. The AI Mode answer says the pattern is sold at 10 or 11 cm elsewhere. If you need the figure before you order, write to us and we will measure one and send it.

What is another name for a cheek retractor like this?

It is also listed as a lip retractor, or a lip and cheek retractor, because the lip is what it holds first. Martin-Simplex and Simplex are the pattern names. The plastic retractors that stretch both lips at once for photographs are a different product.

Can the Simplex cheek retractor be sterilized?

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 inside the fork first, and dry it before it is packed.

Related products and categories

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