If extraction be determined upon, _a careful examination of the tooth_ to be removed should be made. This will allow some idea to be formed of the amount of sound tissue present, and also of the force which will be necessary for the dislodgment of the tooth. In the case of roots, the edges must be defined, and for this purpose a blunt probe, similar in pattern to that shown in fig. 1 will be found useful. [Illustration: FIG. 1.] =Instruments.=--The instruments in general use for the removal of teeth are forceps and elevators. _The Forceps_ is an amplified pair of pincers or pliers. It is made up of three parts, namely, the blades or portions beyond the joint which are applied to the tooth, the joint itself, and the handles. Forceps should be made of fine steel, should be light and yet strong enough to withstand without bending any strain that may be put upon them.[1] The blades should be shaped to fit the tooth they are intended to remove, and they should be clear of the crown when applied. On longitudinal section a blade should present a thin wedge-shaped appearance. Two kinds of joints are met with. In the first variety one half of the forceps passes through a slot in the other, the two being held together by a rivet passing through the centre (fig. 2). In the second variety (fig. 3) the two halves are held together side by side by a screw or pin which takes the entire strain. Most forceps of English manufacture are made on the latter plan, which has the advantage of permitting the instrument to be easily cleaned; it also allows a slight lateral movement of the two halves--a point of some practical importance. It is urged against this style of joint that it is weak; in practice, however, this is not found to be the case. [Illustration: FIG. 2.] [Illustration: FIG. 3.] The handles should be of a size and shape to lie comfortably in the palm of the hand, and should be in such relation to the blades that when the latter are applied in the direction of the long axis of the tooth, the handles clear the lips. As a general rule, in forceps designed for the removal of the anterior teeth in the maxilla, the blades and handles are in the same line (fig. 4), [Illustration: FIG. 4.] [Illustration: FIG. 5.] while for the upper back teeth the handles form a curve of greater or less extent with the blades (fig. 5). In forceps for the lower teeth the blades are bent down from the handles to an angle of nearly ninety degrees. In one class, namely, the hawk’s-bill, when the blades are applied to the tooth the handles are at right angles to the line of the arch (fig. 6), while in other classes the handles are in line with the arch (fig. 7). [Illustration: FIG. 6.] [Illustration: FIG. 7.]