Healthy Gingiva

Healthy Gingiva

Healthy gingiva is the most important issue that anyone should be aware of. Because any disease can not be diagnosed without knowing the meaning of health. Gingiva can be evaluated in terms of Color, Shape, Form and Consistency, Position.

Color: Healthy gingiva has ‘coral pink’ or ‘ pale pink’ color.

Shape: The shape of it’s upper side looks like lacework and has an ascending form from tooth surface through  both sides of the tooth, this is called ‘ lace form and it has a ‘knife edge’ form like the junction of sharp side and not sharp side of the knife.

Form and Consistency: The surface of gingiva is redented like orange peel and this is called ‘rete peg’. It has thick and thigh consistency. 

Position: The junction of tooth enamel and root cement surface is called cemento-enamel junction. Fibrils binding gingiva to tooth surface are binding tooth at this point and this junction is called gingiva attachment. Alveolar bone is supporting teeth and starts from the apical part of this attachment (the part close to root ). Gingival sulcus area starts from the coronal part of this junction ( enamel side of the tooth) and this area is between 0 and 3 mm. Peak of gingival sulcus is called marginal part in other words side part of gingiva. Therefore, gingiva should be positioned maximum 3 mm upper of gingiva cement-enamel junction.

This structure starts to change with gingiva diseases. Disease reveals itself with loss of rete pegs, change of coral pink color, change of lace form, margin and position and disruption of knife edge form.