During a periodontal examination, your dentist or dental hygienist will check for signs of gum disease. You should always have this exam as part of your regular routine!

A periodontal probe (a small dental instrument) is gently used to measure the sulcus between teeth and gums. The depth of healthy pockets should be less than three millimeters; if not, then there may be deeper issues that need attention like gum disease or an infection in this space surrounding your tooth/teeth/. A probing action will demonstrate how deep they go before bloodying themselves on resistant dentin which makes it easier for bacteria access points into its host organism's soft tissue where harmful toxins can reside within body tissues producing chronic inflammation leading

A dentist or hygienist will use pocket depths, amount of bleeding and inflammation to make the diagnosis that falls into one of these categories.