This depth is the difference in height between the level of your gumline and the point at which the gum actually attaches to your tooth. 2-3 mm is considered healthy and physiologic and anything over 5 mm usually indicates that the bone that supports your tooth has begun to be destroyed by the disease.
Understanding Periodontal Chart Measurements
0-3 mm no bleeding: Perfect oral health. 1-3 mm with bleeding: Early signs of gingivitis. Work on a better home oral hygiene plan with your dentist and schedule recurring dental visits. 3-5 mm no bleeding: Early signs of gum disease.
Score 4. 4 indicates gum disease, if you are diagnosed with gum disease we can work with you to create a thorough plan on how to best treat this. On the other side we can move to health. The latest thinking shows clinicians need to be more proactive when we find 3 scores and revisit why they are there.
3 mm - 5 mm with bleeding: It's very likely that gums with these measurements have early gum disease. 5 mm - 7 mm with bleeding: Besides almost certain gum disease, bone loss and tissue damage are also possible. 7 mm+ with bleeding: Pockets deeper than 7 mm means advanced gum disease is certain.
0 to 3mm (no bleeding): Perfectly healthy gums. 1 to 3mm (with bleeding): You've got gingivitis. Fortunately, it's the mildest form of gum disease and can improve provided that you brush your teeth daily. 3 to 5mm (no bleeding): This is the cusp where gum disease starts.
In most cases, the damage will not be completely reversible, but if you follow the treatment and prevention plan laid out by your dentist, you should be able to see significant improvement. Most people are able to reclaim a 4mm to 5mm pocket depth with proper treatment and ongoing periodontal maintenance.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your gum health is to brush your teeth regularly. But it is crucial to make sure you are brushing well. Effective brushing will adequately remove food particles and plaque buildup and help stimulate gum recovery.
What Treatments Are Available to Treat Periodontal Pockets? Scaling and root planing helps to deep clean in and around the periodontal pockets. This procedure removes the plaque and bacteria on the tooth and underneath the gum line. Scaling and root planing helps to shrink periodontal pockets and can heal gum tissue.
Periodontal pockets with a 4-5 mm depth can be conveniently treated with a professional dental cleaning and an aggressive at-home oral hygiene routine.
If you score 0-3's then routine scaling and oral hygiene is generally all that is needed.
Advanced periodontitis
There can be gum recession and the teeth will often be loose or will have drifted out of their normal position. Tooth roots are only 10 – 12 mm long, so when the pockets between your teeth and gums are 7mm or greater, your teeth are in severe danger of being lost.
5-7mm with bleeding means that there has been some gum tissue damage. In some cases, it can also be bone loss around the area. This will require more hygiene visits and special treatment along with good at home oral care. 7mm and above with bleeding is the advanced stage of periodontal disease.
5-7mm with bleeding means tissue damage and probably bone loss. More hygiene visits and special treatment will probably be necessary in addition to better at-home care. 7mm and above with bleeding is generally the advanced stage of periodontal disease.
Per CDC/AAP, severe periodontitis is defined as having 2 or more interproximal sites with clinical attachment loss (CAL) 6 mm or greater (not on the same tooth) and 1 or more interproximal sites with periodontal probing depth (PPD) 5 mm or greater.
Saltwater rinses help with treating gum disease but are not capable of fixing the problem by themselves. You require help from a professional periodontist and maintain good oral hygiene habits if you intend to get over periodontal disease.
For this you need a Gum Pocket Brush. The bristles are specially designed at a 45 degree angle to allow cleaning into the pockets. This will remove the plaque and debris and allow your gum to stick back onto your tooth, reducing the pockets and reversing the effects of gum disease.
This procedure involves a standard cleaning to remove plaque and tartar. Then, your dentist will smooth the root surface of the tooth, which allows your gum tissue to reattach itself to your teeth. Ideally, this will close up the gum pocket, preventing further infection and tooth loss.
It's never too late to seek treatment for gum disease, and the degree of treatment you require will depend on how advanced it is.
However, if you receive gum disease treatment early, you can preserve your natural teeth and prevent the need to search for replacement options. Periodontal and systemic diseases are associated, and research is ongoing to establish the reasons for the association.
It's never too late for gum grafting as long as the patient has sufficient gum tissue to harvest for the graft. However, the success rate of the procedure may be lower in cases where the patient has advanced gum disease or other underlying health issues that can affect the healing process.
In advanced cases, there has been extensive bone loss, and pocket depth may be 8mm and more. In these cases complete removal of the pocket is often not possible, due to limitations on how far the gum can be moved.
In a healthy mouth, the pocket depth is usually between 1 and 3 millimeters (mm).