{"id":550,"date":"2015-05-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/know-your-gum-health-numbers\/"},"modified":"2015-05-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T00:00:00","slug":"know-your-gum-health-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/know-your-gum-health-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Know Your Gum Health Numbers!"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hudsonhighlandsdentistryblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/543-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1109072\" \/>  <strong>HAVE YOU EVER BEEN LAID BACK<\/strong> in our\u00a0dental chair wondering what the numbers mean that a\u00a0hygienist calls out while examining your gums? They\u2019re readings of the gum pocket depths in your mouth, and they\u2019re an\u00a0important part\u00a0of monitoring your gum health. <\/p>\n<h3><strong>Pocket Readings Help Us Measure Inflammation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p> Pocket depth refers to your gums\u2019 attachment to your teeth.  If\u00a0there\u2019s an infection in your gums, they can become inflamed. The gums slightly pull away from teeth, making that pocket between your teeth and gums deeper. The deeper the pockets, the higher the risk of gum disease.  We use a labeled probe to see how deep the pockets go. 1\u20133 millimeters is a good reading. Any higher than that, and you may be\u00a0in the danger zone! <\/p>\n<h3><strong>Inflammation Leads To Gum Disease<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p> Bacteria harbors in those deep pockets, and can cause <em>more<\/em> inflammation and detachment, so it\u2019s important to counteract the first signs of encroaching gum disease right away. The early stages of gum disease (gingivitis) are reversible, with refocused care for your teeth and gums.  However, if the infection has progressed to periodontitis, it becomes a more complex condition to care for, requiring constant vigilance and possibly, more intensive treatments. <\/p>\n<h3><strong>Take Your Periodontal Health Seriously<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p> <strong>Periodontal disease is the most common cause of lost teeth in adults<\/strong>. Possibly 80% of adults have some level of gum disease. It\u2019s something <em>everyone<\/em> needs to take seriously.  <em>You<\/em> can take responsibility for your own dental health. Talk to us about your gum pocket readings. You can even ask to have a mirror and watch as we measure. Ask us what you can do to reduce your risk. And if you have gum disease, <strong>take action to get control of the infection right away!<\/strong> <\/p>\n<h3><strong>Proper Flossing Is One Of The Greatest Prevention Habits<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p> Regular cleanings with our team can help to fight gum disease, especially when paired with your vigilant at-home care, including daily flossing. If you ever have any questions about your oral health, please ask us!  [youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4PreNWWOYfI&#038;w=543&#038;h=315] <\/p>\n<h4>Thanks for your trust in our practice! Now go floss!<\/h4>\n<h6>Top image by Flickr user <span style=\"color: #2a7abd\"><a style=\"color: #2a7abd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/macrj\/5614050826\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rory MacLeod<\/a><\/span> used under <span style=\"color: #2a7abd\"><a style=\"color: #2a7abd\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\">Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license<\/a><\/span>. Image cropped and modified from original.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>POCKET READINGS ARE<\/strong> an important part of monitoring your gum health&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[176],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-176","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}