Periodontal curette
![While the blade of the universal curette is situated perpendicular to the edge of the terminal shank, the blade of the Gracey curette is only offset by 70 degrees, giving the blade a lower cutting edge and an upper non-cutting edge.](/Images/godic/202502/02/Currettes_diagram5415.jpg")
![Gracey curettes have sharp with on cutting edges on only one side of their blades. There are two site-specific Gracey curettes -- posterior mesial (white ring) and posterior distal (blue ring), in addition to the anterior curette (red ring).](/Images/godic/202502/02/Gracy_currettes5415.JPG")
![Universal curettes have sharp edges on both side of their blades. Therefore, only two instruments are necessary -- anterior (pink ring) and posterior (purple ring).](/Images/godic/202502/02/Columbia_currettes5415.JPG")
A periodontal curette is a curette used in the prophylactic and periodontal care of human teeth. The working tips are fashioned in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they are always rounded at the tip in order to make subgingival cleansing less traumatic to the gingiva. Periodontal scalers feature a sharp tip to access supragingival calculus in tight embrasure spaces, thus making the curette the choice instrument for treating subgingival areas of calculus accumulation.