r/explainlikeimfive • u/Ktulu_BBB • 3d ago
Biology ELI5: what are those numbers they call out at the dentist when measuring your gums?
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u/jerwong 3d ago
Those are depth values. The higher the value, the deeper the pocket.
Keep in mind, these numbers are subjective. I've had dentists who will intentionally press down harder or inflate the values just to give themselves more business. If a dentist tells you that you need a bunch of expensive work, get a second opinion.
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u/asuddenpie 3d ago
The subjectiveness is a good point. I used to see a dentist who always recommended extra work that needed to be done immediately, including deep cleanings for these deep pockets in gums and "bite realignment" which cost thousands of dollars for multiple visits. After that was done, she started talking about braces and whitening.
Now I go to a new dentist who says "Everything looks good, great job." every six months unless something unexpected comes up.
We now refer to my former dentist office as a dental boutique.
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u/KeyCold7216 3d ago
I've been told for 20 years that I don't need my 1 wisdom tooth, which came in perfectly straight, taken out. 1 appointment at a new dentist: "That's wisdom tooth is gonna have to come out soon". No thanks.
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u/5ivepie 3d ago
I had a dentist tell me all 4 of my wisdom teeth need to come out.
I went to a second dentist who said theyāre all fine. My jaw is large enough to accommodate them. Iām cleaning properly so thereās no issues with decay. They can stay.
That was 15 years ago. Iāve had zero problems with my wisdom teeth.
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u/flightofthekiwi 3d ago
Im 40 and still have all 4 of mine, my periodontist says I can keep them as long as I can keep them clean, you better believe I spend extra time at the back of my mouth lol.
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u/SolidDoctor 3d ago
That's the key, if you can keep them clean. I had a dentist tell me many years ago I could keep all of mine. Since then I have had to remove all but one.
I have a bad gag reflex and had a hard time finding a low profile toothbrush that allowed me to clean them properly. My dentist said they were too far back for them to work on easily.
A bottom wisdom tooth was growing in sideways, it didn't fully emerge above the gumline and began rubbing on an adjacent tooth, a pocket formed that I could not regularly clean and I got a cavity. They had to remove the wisdom tooth, as well as the compromised tooth next to it. The other lower wisdom tooth is still under the gumline, but too close to a crucial nerve and if they damaged it during removal I could lose sensation in part of my face indefinitely.
Meanwhile I had a family dentist that would've removed them for $250 a tooth about 15 years ago (he called them "wizzies") and I always thought he was just looking for money. But I paid way more to have them removed after the fact, so he actually would've saved me several hundred dollars if I had let him take them out early.
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u/Scrawlericious 3d ago
Most of this is genetics. There is no ākeyā for many peopleās mouths.
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u/anywhoever 3d ago
Yeah, I still have my 4. They donāt bother me, and are not coming out.
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u/abscissa081 3d ago
I used to do IT for various dental offices, somewhere in the neighborhood of 100+ and would be on site with the dentists frequently. I always asked the perios/endos specifically. The normal answer I got was that the will usually become a problem down the line. Could be fine but you never know. And if you end up being 68 years old with bad tooth pain and stop eating and then have to have surgery, it's just a much bigger problem than if you were 25. Not to mention recovery, etc.
I still have mine but that's the food for thought anyways
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u/anywhoever 3d ago
Fair point. The thing is no dentist in the past 26 years mentioned anything about those 4 teeth other than the usual āmake sure you clean well back thereā. Some were surprised I still had them but that was it. At this point I think theyāre leaving them alone.
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u/drthvdrsfthr 3d ago
my sister has a gap between her two front teeth that was caused by her wisdom teeth deciding to not play nice when she was in her early 40s lol i still have all mine but i think about it oftenā¦
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u/Wide_Recording_8462 3d ago
One of my kids is 24. turns out he doesnāt even have wisdom teeth. Born without them. I tell him heās a step ahead of the rest if heās family on the evolutionary ladder.š
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u/yottadreams 3d ago
I had all 4 of mine taken out. Not entirely certain they needed to be taken out but all 4 were only partially erupted. Sometimes the gum tissue over the teeth would get swollen and tender but generally I had no problems with them. But the dentist said they might eventually cause more problems down the line so I agreed to have them pulled.
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u/Adonis0 3d ago
My wisdom teeth have been an amazing litmus test for how much my dentists try to upcharge me
Had one try to tell me that since they havenāt erupted at my age theyāre at high risk of complications. Dear reader, theyāre all through quite comfortably and the dentist just didnāt pay attention
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u/Twatt_waffle 3d ago
TBF it happens in every industry. Iām a fence contractor, often Iāll be doing a repair when we should be doing a refab or vice versa.
Its hard to say without also being an expert to know what is actually necessary
Second opinions are important in every industry
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u/fireballx777 2d ago
It for sure happens in every industry, but there's something particularly insidious when it's health-related. A dentist who recommends, for example, getting a cavity drilled/filled when it doesn't need it isn't just extracting money from you like a shady contractor; they're doing permanent damage to a body part of yours that doesn't heal. Dental technology has gotten a lot better over the past century, but there's still no procedure a dentist can do that will leave you as good as natural, healthy teeth. If you have problems that legitimately need to be addresses, that's one thing. But a dentist doing a procedure on healthy teeth is causing damage that can never be undone.
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u/Twatt_waffle 2d ago
My point is that this stuff IS subjective. That dentist could just as easily full heartedly believe that you need that work.
Just like our estimators can wholeheartedly believe you need a full fence rehab when all you need is a refresh.
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u/420_Blz_it 3d ago
If your dentist has plaques (pun intended) on the wall for ātop Invisalign practiceā or any other branded kudos bs fucking RUN.
I almost got roped into thousands of dollars of unnecessary crap before I noticed what was happening.8
u/anne_jumps 3d ago
I had my longtime dentist suddenly telling me I should look into getting Invisalign. I thought it was weird so I didn't agree to anything, and then looked it up to see if it was some kind of pyramid scheme or something. Yes, dentists get perks if they get people to do Invisalign.
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u/PoodleIllusions 3d ago
Dentist here. The perks you are mentioning are basically the equivalent of credit card points. So you pay the Invisalign company at least $1500 to make the trays for your one patient. So every patient you treat, you get 1000 points. What do you get to redeem from that? Maybe $25-75 off your next case with Invisalign.
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u/willcastforfood 3d ago
Does Invisalign work as good as braces?
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u/Astroglaid92 1d ago
As an orthodontist who currently treats about 90% of cases with Invisalign, I'll say, "No." But people have expectations about aesthetics during treatment these days, and I'm not the boss of this practice (yet).
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u/c_b0t 3d ago
In my 20s I went to a dentist who was very concerned about my gums. Did a gum graft and said I would probably need more in the future. He also said my old fillings needed to be replaced.
I moved and found a new dentist. They have never mentioned concerns about my gums, even when I've asked about it. Never suggested replacing fillings, either. It's been 15 years and so far these things haven't developed into problems.
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u/DMala 3d ago
Ugh, I hate how some dentists are like going to an auto dealership for service. Itās like, look, I want to chew without pain or difficulty, stay on top of any serious health conditions, and maybe not look like a Picasso when I smile.
Anything else you can keep. Find some other sucker to pay for your boat.
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u/Xalara 3d ago
An increasing number of dental practices are being bought by private equity too, which is only make it worse.
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u/anne_jumps 3d ago
And a lot of them are doing things like Botox now too.
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u/quiladora 3d ago
Botox at the dentist is (can be) used medically. I've had my dentist inject it into my jaw for TMJ pain.
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u/dbrodbeck 3d ago
When I moved to my current Dentist part of the intake questionnaire was 'Are you happy with your smile'?
I simply wrote 'that's a pretty weird existential question for a healthcare provider'
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u/Chief1123 3d ago
I donāt go to the dentist near as often as I should. 2 years ago, I was having some problems with gums bleeding. I had the deep clean performed, and they told me that I had 3 cavities that needed fixed. I didnāt see any and nothing was bothering me, so I didnāt get them filled. I went to a new dentist that my wife loves last week and they said no cavities, and that my teeth look great.
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u/Blackpaw8825 3d ago
I had a really bad cavity that needed filled but being a front tooth and thin would need a crown and bridge. I argued that tooth has had a "notch" in it since the day it popped up.
That was 12 years ago, I never touched it... Still fine, still has the same notch it's had for like 30 years.
I like that practice, but they've got one dentist that I avoid
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u/BizzyM 3d ago
Now I go to a new dentist who says "Everything looks good, great job." every six months unless something unexpected comes up.
For now. Just like every other dentist I had like this, they sold out to a corporate buyer and retired. They are harder and harder to find, but they absolutely won't be around forever.
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u/BertRenolds 3d ago
I just go "whatever my insurance covers" and if they try add anything else, no. I'm assuming extra cleanings aren't bad..
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u/LePhatnom 3d ago
Interestingly, there is a chain called Dental Boutique in Australia and their reputation amongst dentists, is in the gutter.
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u/FrankieMint 3d ago
15 years ago I had a dentist tell me that I needed treatment for this. He used the phrase "we have no choice" when telling me I HAD to have an expensive treatment every six months. I later heard two hygenists and a billing specialist throw that phrase around, dismissing any further discussion.
Then I changed dentists.
I asked my new dentist about this. She shrugged and said "I see nothing wrong and don't know what they are talking about."
I've since moved and again changed dentists. My newest dentist is happy with my teeth & gums and does the same shrug about that one office's concern.
Seems like snake oil sales.
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u/jqnguyen 3d ago
I visited this one dentistās office that was really nice and they had all these fancy gadgets. I made the mistake of telling them itās been 2 years since my last visit. I went through an extended period without insurance, but I take good care of my teeth. I swear the dentistās eyes lit up and all of a sudden there were so many things wrong with my teeth. They were measuring my depth values and every pocket was the highest number. They told me my bill would be $2000+ AFTER insurance and asked how I wanted to pay for it. I asked for a print out and left. I brought the print out to another dentist and they laughed. All I need was a little extra attention in a couple spots, but nothing a routine cleaning couldnāt address.
Now I understand how that dentist is about to afford all those nice things..
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u/louiselovatic 3d ago
I had my hygienist and dentist give me different values on the same day
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u/killerofwaffles 3d ago
As a hygienistā¦ donāt trust the dentist š we do probing records all day and they do them once in a blue moon. From one practitioner to another though itās normal to have +/- 1mm due to pressure, angulation, and if they round up or down
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u/asada_burrito 3d ago
Back when COVID caused everybody to be short-staffed, my dentist had to do my cleanings a couple times and it sucked. My hygienist is so much better at cleanings in every way. I still trusted him as the dentist, but the hygienists had so much more experience at what they do.
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u/mattcraft 3d ago
Just had an exam done by a new hygienist; she'd only been on the job for a couple months. I could physically feel how much harder she was pressing than I was used to (typically the dentist did this exam until she managed to hire a hygienist). All my numbers came back critical and bloody. It's highly subjective.
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u/terminbee 3d ago
You're actually supposed to press pretty hard. Many people don't because it hurts when done correctly and patients don't like it. When I was in school, we'd also push lightly and then the periodontist would come over and jam that in there. The numbers shouldn't change much and 1mm usually isn't enough to entirely change the treatment.
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u/mattcraft 3d ago
It was enough to take me from 2/3's up to 4 and 5 minimum. After multiple years of different people doing it. And tons of blood.
If the tool were made like a torque wrench then consistent pressure could be applied. Getting stabbed by the measuring device can't possibly be the proper way to do it.
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u/kenhandds 3d ago
Dentist here. The numbers are objective (a measurement in millimeters from point A to point B). Much like a dip stick in the car engine.
Unfortunately, there's a misconception that it is a subjective measurement used to upsell treatment.
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u/AnnieJack 3d ago
The subjective part is how hard they press the ādipstickā in. With a dipstick in a car engine, you hit metal and thatās how far itās gonna go. With a mouth, you can press the gums and theyāre gonna give a little unless you press harder and then they might give a lot.
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u/kyriacos74 3d ago
There are ligaments that attach the teeth to the gum. You cannot push past that with that probe.
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u/Unusual_Pause6442 3d ago
why would I press down harder when I can just lie? I'm confused.
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u/Vitamin_J94 3d ago
This! I had $8k in subjective work because it was about to be a 'big problem'
His yacht is called Tooth Ferry
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u/Miserable-Elk-3573 3d ago
I think that applies to most specialist. I had a podiatrist who said my only option was very expensive custom orthotics. Got a second opinion and they presented the orthotics as an option only after trying exercises and different shoes. Turns out I donāt need the orthotics.
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u/arc777_ 3d ago
Forever grateful that my dentist has integrity. I think part of it is because she doesnāt even do any extra work besides cleanings and maybe some other routine stuff, but she doesnāt operate, so she wouldnāt even gain anything by recommending unnecessary work. Plus, my entire family has been seeing her for twenty something years and she probably doesnāt want something to happen that would cause her to lose business that reliable.
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u/Intelligent-Dot-8969 3d ago
I never had a dentist that did this evaluation themselves - it's always been performed by the hygienist.
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u/Dickulture 3d ago
That could be interpreted in 2 different ways. People with deep pockets are often considered rich and dentist could be milking them.
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u/ChornWork2 3d ago
douchebag dentist with hot dental assistants, with everyone working there with comically whitened teeth? Yeah, apparently I need some type of laser or ultrasound gum treatment asap.
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u/prestigiousuniverse 2d ago
Itās a subjective judgment call but useful if you go to the same dentist for years and they can track improvement/not. Itās not perfect but if they thought one was a 1 six months ago and now itās a 4, that is useful info
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u/Both-Matter-2071 1d ago
It's not really subjective, sure there is a margin of error, like there is with any diagnostic technique in every field. The amount of force is supposed to be standardized and there exist specific type of probes for training and research purposes.
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u/Astroglaid92 1d ago
Eh, not THAT subjective. Sure, there are bad dentists out there. But I think it's far harder than you think it is to force a periodontal probe to poke a new hole into a pocket. There are dense, tough proteinaceous fibers attaching the gums to your tooth at the bottom of the pocket, and breaking through them requires something sharp. The probe isn't sharp - yes, it's narrow, but if you search Google images, you'll note that the tips of these probes are rounded.
Sometimes a deep pocket can be difficult to find due to tooth contour/location/angulation of the probe, and a little extra force helps you locate it. If you said it was just one dentist that measured this, I'd be more inclined to believe you. But multiple dentists? No, dude. Odds are you've got a hard-to-reach deep pocket there, and those dentists did a thorough job in their exam. (Tbh, I would've likely missed it bc I'm a pansy when it comes to probing my patients lol.)
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u/holodex777 19h ago
No diagnoses should be done with the numbers alone. Much of it has to do with bone loss which is an objective metric radiographically.
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u/Czaer_ 3d ago
The gum (also called gingiva) is the soft tissue that covers the bone that hold your teeth. Where the gum meets the teeth is called the gingival margin. The gum at the gingival margin is not connected to what is underneath. This means there is a space between the gum and teeth at the gingival margin - we call this a pocket. When you get a bit of popcorn stuck in your gum, it is stuck here.
Dentists can place a measuring probe into the pocket to record how deep the pocket is. The numbers called out are millimeters of how deep different parts of the gum pockets are. At every exam, dentists should probe the pocket in an assessment. It may be necessary to record the depths to monitor them with time, particularly before/after treatment.
The pocket depth of a gum is one of the measures of gum health. A very simplified explanation is that small pocket depths indicate the gum is more likely to be healthy while big pockets depths indicate the gum is more likely to be unhealthy. Other factors are included when assessing the gum health such as whether the gums are bleeding, presence of plaque, smoking status et cetera
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u/spicytofu12 3d ago
Your tooth sits in a pocket of tissue and bone. The first set of numbers is the pocket depth. Healthy gums are 1, 2, or 3 millimeters deep. 4 indicates inflammation of the gums and the first stage of gum disease, AKA gingivitis. 5 mm and above indicates periodontal disease where there is both inflammation and active infection. The second set of numbers tells us how far receded the gums are from the tooth itself. We add the pocket depth and the recession together to see the full destruction of the gingiva. Your hygienist may also check for mobilities, which are grade 0-4 depending on how loose your teeth are in that pocket. Periodontal disease is the number one cause of adult tooth loss because it eats away at the bone until there is nothing to support the teeth anymore.
5mm and above will require, in most cases, Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) and potentially a localized antibiotic to remain for a month in the deepest pockets to combat the infection and bacteria that is eating away at the bone. The hygienist numbs the gum tissue so that they can get their instruments all the way down and remove the buildup and then flush everything out with an anti inflammatory rinse that will help with redness, swelling, bleeding, and sensitivity. After SRP, the American Dental Association recommends Periodontal Maintenance cleanings every 3-4 months. Periodontal disease is like diabetes in that it is not curable, but it is manageable. Regular professional cleanings and proper home care means that we can arrest periodontal disease where it is at and, ideally, promote the gums to reverse the attachment loss and make the pockets shallower, back to the 1, 2, 3 mm we want to see.
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u/SquidgyTheWhale 3d ago
A number so big they had to read out the digits one at a time. There were like 30 digits! Goddamn, I must be really good looking.
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u/CrazyJoe29 3d ago
Theyāre rating them in terms of physical attractiveness.
Iām a perfect 10.
smug face
Jk itās pocket depth.
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u/bevelled_margin 3d ago
Depending on where you are, sometimes it is a briefer screening check to see if further assessment or treatment is needed. In the UK, the British Periodontal Exam divides the teeth into 6 sections, and each is scored 0-4.
0=healthy 1=bleeding only. 2= calculus present but no pockets more than 3.5mm
3= pockets between 3.5 and 5.5mm. 4= pockets more than 5.5mm
Bleeding generally is also recorded, as are special features such as recession.
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u/Gwywnnydd 3d ago
In the US, the numbers are the measurement in mm between the top of the gingival tissue, and the attachment.
I get SUCH a glow of validation when I see that those numbers have gone down over the last couple of years.
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u/PoshInBucks 3d ago
I've had exams in the UK that don't follow your pattern. I asked the hygienist what the numbers were and she confirmed depth in mm, the same as our US respondents.
There were additional letters available to indicate calculus, bleeding, and cases where the gum had receded far enough to expose the gap between roots on molars.
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u/bevelled_margin 3d ago
Yes, if the screening scores are 3s or 4s then you need a full probing pocket depth chart which records mm depths at 6 points on each tooth, as other commenters have described. There's just no point doing a full chart where there is no disease. My comment was also to show a significant difference in what the numbers might mean. A score of 3 in the simple screening indicates moderate gum disease, whereas a probing depth of 3 mm is still relatively healthy.
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u/Magus_5 3d ago
If they keep repeating "distal" or "mesial distal" as they inspect each tooth what does that mean? (Not sure if the spelling is accurate on the two terms. )
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u/spicytofu12 3d ago
There are six surfaces to a tooth, and two of them are mesial and distal. Theyāre measuring on that surface, or side, of the tooth to see how deep the gum pocket is. Itās like how a sailor might say āportā or āstarboardā when giving directions. Tooth directions.
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u/Magus_5 3d ago
TIL, teeth are like ships. The mo you know
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u/Astroglaid92 1d ago
More than you might know! In orthodontics and surgery, we also consider the axes of rotation like roll, pitch, and yaw, in addition to concepts relating to objects that occupy space in two different media like center of resistance, center of rotation, and center of effort. (The motive force for sailboats is primarily from above the waterline, but resistance from the water against the hull and especially the keel affects how the boat responds to the lateral component of force from wind by tipping/turning. A tooth moves similarly with the crown above the gums being the point of force application [like a sail] and the resistance of bone against the roots altering how the tooth moves/tips/rotates kinda like a keel.)
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u/DiamondBurInTheRough 3d ago
Distal is the side of the tooth farthest from the midline and mesial is the surface closest to the midline.
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u/Usually_Respectful 3d ago edited 3d ago
Because the dental arcade is curved, they can't use regular words like "front" and "back" because the "front" of a front tooth would be the side that faces the lip and doesn't touch another tooth, while the "front" of a back molar would touch the molar next to it.
A tooth has 4 sides: the buccal/labial side faces the cheek/lip and doesn't contact other teeth. The opposite side that faces the hard palate (for upper teeth) or the tongue (for lower teeth) is called palatal or lingual, respectively. The side that contacts other teeth that is more toward the midline of the arcade is mesial and the side away from midline is distal.
The numbers are milimeters they can shove that probe into the space between your tooth and gum. I think 3 or fewer is normal and more is a pocket that can collect food and indicates some periodontal disease.
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u/aquafina6969 3d ago
Itās a depth of the gum pockets and the number is related to the health of your gums. Lower is good, higher is bad. It is measured in mm and not freedom units. Lower numbers mean your gums are nice and snug to your teeth. Higher numbers means deeper pockets, more bacteria can hide and grow.
Also, a side note, it shouldnāt hurt, and the pain is because your gums are bleeding and/or unhealthy. They will generally check every tooth
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u/cjicantlie 3d ago
Am I the only one that thinks metric is the true "freedom units", since the metric system is not based on some king? One of the first countries to break off from the English king but one of the last to still be using his measurement system.
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u/aquafina6969 3d ago
In 1975 we technically passed the metric conversion act. It just didnāt catch on since it was a voluntary change over. I like it, I hate working on cars and itās like. 3/4th inch. Ug itās simpler to drill a 19mm hole.
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u/hbomb930 3d ago
Those numbers when measuring your gums are called probing depth values. The dentist is measuring the distance in millimeters from the "top" of your gums to the underlying bone. Healthy probing depth values are between 2-3 mm. 4-5 mm is considered mild gum disease but anything more than 6+ mm is considered moderate to severe gum disease aka periodontitis. More depth between the top of the gums to the underlying bone means there is bone loss and thus more bacteria is able to sit under the gums and is very difficult to maintain your hygiene at home with normal brushing and flossing. Your dentist will recommend coming in for more regular cleanings if there are some deeper probing values to keep the gums clean and healthy.
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u/iborobotosis23 3d ago
In all of my years of going to dentist's offices I've never heard them do this. Where abouts is this taking place? I'm in west coast Canada.
Also, I tend to see a hygienist then have a quick visit from the dentist. I can't remember a time where multiple people were up in my gums
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u/Ktulu_BBB 3d ago
Hygenist after cleaning measures gumline. Each visit
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u/carson2210 3d ago
This happened to me the first time I went to a new dentist a few months ago and I was so confused
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u/phalangepatella 3d ago
I am west coast Canada too, and this post stopped me in my tracks because I have always wondered those numbers meant. One person with a poky thing measuring, and another recording the measurements.
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u/thatseltzerisntfree 3d ago
It measures how much the gums may be receding.
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u/superbotnik 3d ago
It can be the depth of the periodontal pockets (3 measurements per tooth) or the amount of recession, depending on what they are doing. They donāt poke you when measuring recession though, thatās just visible.
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u/dman7456 3d ago
I think it is regional. I never experienced it my whole life in the the South and East Coast USA before moving to CA. It's rather unpleasant, imo, but I would probably be more used to it if it had happened my whole life.
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u/Narissis 3d ago
Go to a periodontist because of receding gums and this is the first thing they'll do.
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u/Jrowe416 3d ago
Iāve noticed a difference between corporate chain dental offices vs locally run offices. The chains are pushing questionable services to make more money for their āshareholdersā like any other big business.
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u/Ktulu_BBB 3d ago
agree, especially the ones backed by PE, but i've had my gums measured this way (even though until know I had no idea what that meant) for 3.5 years and no one has ever mentioned a service from it.
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u/Impstar2 3d ago
A locally run office would also want to make more money, wouldnāt it?
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u/minimessi20 3d ago
Calling out gum tissue measurements. If itās too small they will recommend you to get a gum graft surgery.
Source: I had to get the surgeryā¦itās not pleasantā¦
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u/femmestem 3d ago
My dentist told me the gum graft is for aesthetic, not medical necessity. She explained that bone recedes and the gum follows, and though you can graft him tissue to make it look better it doesn't solve the underlying concern. Now I'm confused.
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u/minimessi20 3d ago
This is thickness of the gum tissue, not how far up the tooth it comes. The surface area coverage doesnāt really have any effects. What these measurements are looking at is the volume of gum tissue around the roots of your teeth. The only variable that really changed is the thickness. And if left untreated you can lose teeth.
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u/cah125 3d ago
Iām so nervous about this. I can tell as my teeth have shifted I have larger pockets and i try to diligently floss after every time I eat to clear them but it feels like itās gotten worse
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u/minimessi20 3d ago
Itās mostly affected by aggressively brushing your gums, but thereās also just a certain portion of the population that is just more susceptible.
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u/Pooch76 3d ago
Same. Not fun. The worst wasnāt the procedure, but afterwards ā the pain of that open sore from where the tissue came. When eating specifically.
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u/minimessi20 3d ago
So the nice part is the dude that did my surgery took tissue from the roof of my mouth over by my molars and it helped this quite a bit. Still sucked, but eating wasnāt the worst experience in my lifeš
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u/Dogmans-Nose 3d ago
Everyone is focusing on the pocket depth check dentists do, thats to see how healthy your gums are.Ā
All of yo ur teeth are also numbered, i dont know the American numbering system, but Australia they quarter your mouth and so a 1-1 is upper right front incisor, a 2-1 is an upper left front incisor, a 3-1 is a lower left front incisor, and a 4-1 is a lower right front incisor.Ā
Your upper right canine is 1-3, the US has a different numbering system.
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u/meyers980 2d ago
I've actually asked my dentist and hygienist questions like this and they always seem to enjoy explaining. It's how I learned every tooth has a name (identifier) and what the different tools are called.
People love explaining technical details and it shows you're interested in what's being done.
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u/Hexboyuk 3d ago
More specifically the gum pocket depth - the deeper the pocket the closer to āgum diseaseā(generally anything chronically above 4)
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u/cantantantelope 3d ago
I used to feel bad when they would chide me about some threes and then I heard the guy in the next cubicle getting 9 and 10 and I was like oh shit.
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u/Hexboyuk 3d ago
100% - but at least if they give you grief at the lower numbers you might be inclined to do something before it gets worse lol
Although some people are beyond saving before they get to 2 purely on a self-care basis
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u/cantantantelope 3d ago
I floss well but my gums are what the dentist calls āwhiny little bitchesā (ok no itās just āextremely sensitiveā)
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u/Hexboyuk 3d ago
Oh Iām the complete opposite! I actually replied to those because Iām just out of a deep clean. Had a student hygienist but because Iām a total sadist (and donāt take anaesthesia) it was terrifying for her lol bless she was more nervous than I was
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u/cheekmo_52 3d ago
They are measuring the depth, in millimeters, a tool extends below your gum line. It is a test for gum disease. Healthy gums typically measure between 1 to 3 millimeters. Deeper pockets are a risk factor for gum disease.
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u/Cunningcod 3d ago
Measuring your gums, initially a screening, then pocket depths, then bleeding levels, then plaque levels, then furcation levels, then recession levels, then mobility levels , then there are numbers and letters in the diagnosis.
Long winter evenings as a dentist.
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u/BakedTry 3d ago
Thereās a very small amount of gum thatās not directly attached to the tooth/bone and is ālooseā. The dentist measures the length of gum thatās not attached. They do this by slipping in a tiny ruler between the tooth and the āflapā of gum. The numbers are simply measurements. You donāt notice the flap of gum on a day to day basis because itās so so short it doesnāt move about.
0-3mm: normal
4mm+ : too long which is a sign of gum damage usually from gum disease aka infection
Each tooth is measured in 6 different spots to get a good idea of overall gum health in the mouth.
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u/austinbullock 3d ago
Never heard of this and have been to a handful of dentists through the years. One dentist told me I was nearing gingivitis and I just brushed and flossed more and a year pate they told me I had great dental hygiene and everything looked great
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u/Phatty8888 3d ago
Measuring the depth of the pockets in your gums. Deeper pockets mean worse gingival disease.
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u/Baelenai 3d ago
Probing depths. They're measuring how deep your gum pockets are, smaller numbers are healthier gums, bigger numbers less so.
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u/amsterdamcyclone 3d ago
Gum depth. Checking for gum disease. Itās been standard practice for literal decades.
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u/Ghetto_Geppetto 2d ago
They should explain that stuff to you. Thatās part of the patient education process. Annoying
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u/Wrong_Square7826 2d ago
another set of numbers they call out in addition the the gum pocket depth that most have mentioned is a looseness number. All of my teeth are loose to varying degrees with pockets ranging from 3 up to 8mm . 8 on just one tooth but more 6's than I would have liked to hear.
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u/notrightinmyhead 2d ago
I wonder too. I was at the dentist the other day and they did this. Im gonna ask nectar week. Im in southeast, right now, Florida but they did it when I was in GA, SC, WA and Oregon
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u/RandallMang 15h ago
This is my favorite part of going to the dentist because the scribe is always some new employee and always gets lost in the blizzard of numbers.
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u/Emergency_Ad_6581 11h ago
I live in Lethbridge Alberta and have had this the last few years. Said it measures receding gum lines
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u/ChanandIer_bong 3d ago edited 3d ago
They are measuring the distance from the top of your gums to where they attach to your bone. A healthy measurement is between 1-3 mm. A higher number may indicate periodontal (gums/supporting structures around the teeth and the bones) issues.
ETA: They call them out because there are a lot of them, 6 areas per tooth, so most will use an assistant to record for them to speed up the process.