Measuring gum recession

This is gingivitis which is the mildest form of gum disease. Usually a good cleaning coupled with improved oral self-care is all that is needed. This can occur if you need to have your teeth scaled.

Receding Gums: The Start of Periodontal ( Gum ) Disease Gum disease is an inflammation of the gum line that can eventually erode the jawbone. It appears in three stages which, from least to most severe, are gingivitis, periodontitis, and advanced periodontitis.

Treatment usually requires advanced procedures to control its progression and restore lost tissues, and oftentimes the only treatment is tooth removal. The natural pocket gets deeper when bacteria or gum disease is present. To monitor and evaluate gum health, the pocket depth is measured , recorde and monitored over time.

In a healthy mouth, a pocket can be generally from 1-millimeters deep. To measure a pocket, our dental hygienists or dentists use a periodontal probe. Gum recession is a common problem in adults over the age of 4 but it may also occur starting from the age of a teenager, or around the age of 10.

The top of gum tissue does not attach directly to teeth.

There is a space of pocket between the gum and the tooth before it attaches. This space or pocket deepens in the presence of gum disease. The CEJ may be coronal to the gingival margin. This is known as recession and is very simple to measure. Occasionally, the gingival margin extends significantly over the CEJ making an accurate measurement quite difficult (Fig.

1). If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Geiger, DDS of Southeast Family Dental in Indianapolis, Indiana explains what a periodontal exam is and why it is important to the health of your teeth and gums.

What does gum recession feel like? How serious is gum recession? How can gum recession be treated? What are gum measurements and what do the numbers mean? The official diagnosis of receding gums by your dentist is called a “local mucogingival problem” or “gingival recession.

But before your dentist can measure visible recession , are there ways to tell if your gums are receding ? Very early stages of gum recession aren’t visible to the naked eye. Recession is the loss of gum tissue from around the tooth thus exposing the root.

With gum recession, this exposed root makes the tooth more susceptible to decay and can cause the teeth to be sensitive. A physical examination can indicate issues. A probe may also be used to measure gum pockets. The deposition of plaque in the gap could catalyze and aggravate the gum recession. It is a type of periodontal ( gum -related) disease, which, when untreate could result in the loss of teeth!

One treatment option may be a soft tissue graft,commonly used for gum recession caused by periodontal disease or thin gum tissue not caused by disease. During this procedure, tissue is taken from the roof of the mouth or nearby thicker gum areas and grafted onto the thinner places to cover exposed roots. In addition to this, the tooth may be loose. If there is less bone holding onto the root of the tooth, then the tooth will be loose.

When gum recession occurs. Pockets that measure millimeters to millimeters indicate signs of disease. Tartar may be progressing below the gumline and some bone loss could be evident.

During the cleaning, my pocket depths were read at a few 2-3mm, mostly 4mm, and two 5mm pockets. Learn More About the Causes of Bleeding Gum s.