Tobold Tongue Depressor, 15 cm or 14.5 cm, Ribbed Blade

What the Tobold tongue depressor is

The Tobold tongue depressor is the long bladed one of the angled patterns. Its blade runs 85 to 88 mm, which carries the press further back along the tongue than a short blade can, toward the base where the tongue rises to block the view of the larynx. The blade is ribbed across to hold, and it sits on a solid flat handle the hand can push against.

Google AI Mode, read on 5 November 2026, describes the Tobold tongue depressor as a handheld surgical instrument used in ENT, dental and oral and maxillofacial surgery to push down the tongue and improve the view of the mouth and throat. In its words, it is a reusable stainless steel device for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, with an L shaped angled profile that keeps the hand out of the direct line of sight, and transverse serrations on the blade that grip the tongue without slipping. It gives 14 to 16 cm overall and a blade of about 80 to 88 mm by 25 mm, which is where both of ours sit.

Gemini, read the same day, places it in ENT, head and neck surgery and the preparation for laryngoscopy, on the dorsum and base of the tongue and the tissue above the vocal cords. It lists the Tobold laryngeal tongue spatula as a catalog name, and sets it apart from the Bruenings by the angled blade made for the deep view into the throat and larynx.

As a surgical tongue depressor and a tongue depressor instrument for the operating room, it is used the same way as the shorter patterns, with one difference. Because the blade is long, it is set further back, with its tip near the base of the tongue, and the handle is pressed down and toward the chin. The tongue moves forward as well as down, and the throat opens behind it.

Key design features

A long blade

The listing gives the blades as 88 x 25 mm on the 15 cm and 85 x 24 mm on the 14.5 cm. That length reaches back to the base of the tongue, where a short blade would only press the front and let the back rise up. For a view of the larynx, the length of the blade is what matters.

A ribbed face

The drawing beside our photograph shows the working face ribbed across. This is the serrated tongue depressor AI Mode describes: the ribs hold the wet tongue so the blade stays where it was set, even when the patient swallows or the tongue tenses.

Angled from a solid handle

The blade comes off the handle at a bend, and the handle in our photograph is a solid flat bar. Seen side on, it is a curved metallic tongue depressor: the blade in the mouth, the handle out and down, and the hand clear of the view. The solid bar takes a firm push without flexing.

Two lengths

The 15 cm Tobold carries the 88 mm blade and the 14.5 cm carries the 85 mm blade. The difference is small and deliberate: the longer for a larger adult mouth, the shorter where the tongue is smaller. Both are 17 dollars, so the choice is made on the patient rather than the price.

Which size to order

Two sizes at one price, read off the variations on 5 November 2026. The guide in the third column is ours.

Where it is used

AI Mode and Gemini, read on 5 November 2026, name these cases for the Tobold tongue depressor. The reasons in the last column are ours, read off the blade and the handle.

What it does, and what it must not do

The Tobold tongue depressor presses the tongue down and forward by hand, with a long ribbed blade that grips. It does not hold the mouth open and it is not self retaining. It is the longest reach of the hand held depressors on this tray.

How it compares with the rest of the oral access tray

Ten oral access instruments make up this family on our site. The working ends and handles are read off each listing’s own photograph, the options off the variations and the prices off the order form, on 5 November 2026.

Materials and finish

Every Tobold tongue depressor 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 Tobold tongue depressor has a plain steel finish. Sight along the blade before each case. A blade bent out of line by a hard push no longer lies flat on the tongue, and that depressor should be set aside.

Caring for it

Rinse the Tobold tongue depressor as soon as it comes out of the mouth, before saliva dries between the ribs. Brush across the ribs and along the handle, wash it, dry it, and steam sterilize it on the normal cycle with the rest of the tray.

Ordering and wholesale

The Tobold tongue depressor 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 the Tobold tongue depressor used for?

It pushes the tongue down to open the view of the mouth and throat in ENT, dental and oral and maxillofacial surgery, including tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, in AI Mode’s words. Gemini adds laryngoscopy. Ours is 15 cm or 14.5 cm, at 17 dollars.

What is another name for a tongue depressor?

A tongue blade or a tongue spatula. Gemini lists the Tobold laryngeal tongue spatula as a catalog name for this one. All of these name an instrument that presses the tongue down so the mouth and throat can be seen.

Which Tobold size should I order?

Take the 15 cm, with its 88 x 25 mm blade, for larger adult mouths. Take the 14.5 cm, with its 85 x 24 mm blade, where the tongue is smaller. Both are 17 dollars, and a tray for a busy ENT list can carry one of each.

Why is the Tobold blade so long?

So it reaches the base of the tongue, where the tongue rises and blocks the view of the larynx. A short blade presses the front of the tongue and lets the back rise up. Ours runs 85 or 88 mm, by the listing.

Can it be autoclaved?

Yes. It is stainless steel with no coating, and it goes through the normal steam cycle with the rest of the tray. Brush between the ribs, dry the blade fully, and store it so the blade is not bent by heavier instruments.

Related products and categories

Three more instruments from the same oral access tray: the Wieder tongue depressor, the Denhardt mouth gag and the Dingman mouth gag complete set. The rest of the range is under maxillofacial instruments, which sits inside our ENT instruments.