Are periodontal pockets visible?
Table of Contents
Are periodontal pockets visible?
Although periodontal pockets are invisible to the eye, they can be detected during an oral exam, when the space between the gums and teeth is measured.
What causes periodontal pocketing?
When you have gum disease, tissue erosion can occur, causing gaps known as pockets to surround teeth. These pockets can capture and hold bacteria, causing damage to the jaw bone where teeth are anchored into sockets. Periodontal pockets are measured in millimeters (mm). A millimeter is about the width of a credit card.
What is a false periodontal pocket?
When gingival hyperplasia occurs, periodontal probing measurements can be taken and create the illusion that periodontal pockets are present. This phenomenon is sometimes called a false pocket or pseudopocket.
How do you diagnose periodontal pockets?
Measure the pocket depth of the groove between your gums and teeth by placing a dental probe beside your tooth beneath your gumline, usually at several sites throughout your mouth. In a healthy mouth, the pocket depth is usually between 1 and 3 millimeters (mm). Pockets deeper than 4 mm may indicate periodontitis.
What is the difference between a gingival pocket and a periodontal pocket?
Periodontal pockets are deeper than gum pockets. They extend down to your bone. They are caused by the destruction of the tissue that supports your teeth, including bone. The sulcus, the potential space between your tooth and gum, should be shallow when measured with a dental probe.
How do you know if a gum pocket is deep?
The bacteria will continue to grow in these deep pockets and that can lead to gum disease….Recognizing the Signs of a Periodontal Pocket.
| • | Gum inflammation – The bacteria can cause the gums around the pocket to become inflamed. |
|---|---|
| • | Loose teeth – As the gums separate from the teeth, the teeth may become loose. |
What does pocketing mean in dentistry?
When gum tissue begins to separate or pull away from the teeth, it leaves a larger space between the tooth and gums where harmful bacteria can thrive. At this point the space is called a “pocket.” Inflammation is present, and the once healthy sulcus has become deeper because it is diseased.
What does pocket depth mean?
Simply put, the mattress depth refers to the thickness of a mattress and pocket depth is the length of the corner seam on a fitted sheet. In order for sheets to fit properly on a bed, the fitted pocket depth needs to be only one to three inches deeper than the depth of the mattress.
What is a true periodontal pocket?
To have a true periodontal pocket, a probing measurement of 4 mm or more must be clinically evidenced. In this state, much of the gingival fibers that initially attached the gingival tissue to the tooth have been irreversibly destroyed.
How do you fix periodontal pockets?
What Treatments Are Available to Treat Periodontal Pockets?
- Scaling and Root Planing. Scaling and root planing helps to deep clean in and around the periodontal pockets.
- Gingival Flap Surgery. Gingival flap surgery is when the gum tissue is folded back and the diseased tissue is removed.
- Gingivectomy.
- Gingivoplasty.
What are the advantages of Perioscopy?
Perioscopy is a great new tool in the preservation of a patient’s teeth and in the fight against periodontal (gum) disease. Perioscopy is overall more conservative and less invasive then traditional treatment options. It is also significantly more successful than traditional scaling procedures.
How is a false pocket created?
Regardless of the etiology, when gingival hyperplasia occurs, greater than normal (the measurement in a pre-pathological state) periodontal probing measurements can be read, creating the illusion that periodontal pockets have developed. This phenomenon is also referred to as a false pocket or pseudopocket.