pliers

pliers

[plī′ərz]

small tong-jawed pincers for bending metals or holding small objects. Various forms are much used in dentistry.

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pliers,

n a tool of pincer design with jaws of varying shapes; used for holding, bending, stretching, contouring, and cutting.

pliers, contouring,

n a set of pliers with jaws curved to permit developing tooth contours in banding metal.

pliers, cotton,

n a slender, tweezerlike instrument used to hold cotton pellets or pledgets, apply medicaments, and carry small objects to and from the oral cavity.

pliers, stretching,

n pliers whose jaws are designed as a hammer and anvil, with the handles sufficiently long to develop a high leverage ratio. It is used to enlarge metal bands (gold, aluminum, copper) or to thin the contact area of matrix bands.