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| GUMS
In the dental world, we termed it as the gingiva. The gingiva extends from the dentino-enamel junction going to the alveolar mucosa. A normal healthy gingiva is coral pink in color. A diseased gingiva is deep red in color and swollen (gingivitis). The gingiva is dived into three regions: papillary gingiva, the interdental gingiva, and the attached gingiva. |
The marginal
gingiva is that part which is not firmly bounded to the underlying
bone. A gingival crevice is found between the marginal gingiva and the
tooth, with its bottom which is the sulcus. This part is worth a mention
because the depth of the sulcus determines the presence of periodontal
disease. A healthy gingiva has a normal sulcus depth of 1 to 2 mm.
The attached gingiva is the part which is highly bounded to the underlying bone and is mostly |
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| The papillary gingiva is that part which fills the space between adjacent teeth. In between two adjacent teeth and below their contact areas, a depression is formed where the vestibular and the oral papillary gingiva meet. We termed it as the "col." This part, the col, is mentioned here for the relevance that this part is vulnerable to periodontal disease. | subjected to direct trauma from eating. Its surface
is described as being stippled surface. This stippled appearance is important
because this is indicative of health and disease. The disappearance of
stippling indicates edema, a sign of a progressive gingivitis.
Now, take a mirror, deflect your your lips, and watch closely your gums. Find anything unusual? |
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