Do you have flabby gums? This probably isn’t a familiar term to you. Gums aren’t something that most people know a whole lot about. When go in for a dental cleaning, you may hear your dentist or dental hygienist spouting numerical data as they examine your mouth. What does it mean? They’re not taking inventory, per se, but assessing the health quotient of your gum tissues. In shape gums translates into healthier teeth.
What the Numbers Mean
Martin Hogan, DDS, Loyola University Medical Center, notes that gum tissue is easily assessed with high-tech dental instruments. “The pocket between the gum and the tooth or root is measured as a means of prevention. Dentists will often take measurements of the pocket depth to get a feel for the health of a patient’s gum tissue. Healthy gum tissue will usually yield numbers of less than 4 mm of pocket depth. Higher numbers indicate that the tissue is inflamed and some dental treatment may be necessary,” says Dr. Hogan. So, the next time you visit your dentist, you will want to pay attention to those numbers which may have once sounded more like a foreign language. If you hit the mark for healthy gum tissue, you know that you’re good to go for another six months before your next checkup.
Why Millimeters?
Typically, a healthy reading will be somewhere between one and three millimeters. Four millimeters constitutes a borderline area where you may want to ramp up your dental hygiene efforts and possibly schedule more frequent checkups. If your gums read at five millimeters or more, it’s time for action. Any periodontal pocket measuring five to six mm’s will likely warrant the recommendation of a deep cleaning. You will most likely be put under sedation for this deep cleaning to ensure that you are comfortable. Though the process is not as invasive as surgery, it can be intense for some patients. This is because the depth of the cleaning goes beyond the normal scraping of the surfaces of dentin up to the gumline. However, by ensuring that your gums are clean and healthy, you make sure that your gorgeous smile is maintained.
ABOUT YOUR ROLLING MEADOWS DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
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