What Periodontal Probing Tells You
This measurement replaces guesswork in gum disease with numbers.
How the measurement is made and what the numbers mean
The instrument is a fine blunt-tipped probe marked in millimetres, eased gently into the natural sulcus to read the distance to its base — usually at six points around each tooth, since disease does not progress evenly on every surface. Healthy readings are mostly 1-3 mm, a depth a brush and floss can reach. Readings of 4 mm and above are pockets, beyond the reach of any home cleaning, where bacteria find shelter.
Other findings recorded during the assessment
- Bleeding on probing — the sign of active inflammation
- The amount of recession and exposed root surface
- The degree of tooth mobility
- Whether the furcation between roots is involved
- Whether pus is expressible from the pocket
- The width of the attached gingiva
- Where plaque and calculus have accumulated
Why depth on its own is not enough
Pocket depth is measured from the free gum margin, which drops when the gum recedes — so a tooth with advanced bone loss can give a deceptively small reading. Recession is therefore added, and the total is assessed as clinical attachment loss, which reflects how much support has actually been lost. The first set of readings is also a baseline: repeating them after treatment shows objectively whether healing occurred.
Getting Here, Booking and Emergencies from Selcuk
Route, booking and emergency arrangements for patients from Selcuk.
Getting here from Selcuk
Selçuk lies in the Muratpaşa district of Antalya; Muratpaşa is one of the central districts, about 2 kilometres from the clinic. We also see patients from neighbouring areas that share the route from Selcuk, such as Yenigöl, Zerdalilik, Cumhuriyet, Elmalı. You can ask for the location on WhatsApp when travelling from Selcuk.
Appointments for Selcuk
At this distance, splitting treatment into visits is no problem for patients from Selçuk, and attending reviews is easy too. As with patients from Muratpasa generally, appointments for families from Selcuk can be scheduled consecutively.
Emergencies from Selcuk
Setting out from Selçuk at night is quick; come without delay in an emergency, and calling as you leave means preparation is done in advance. For patients coming from Dental Clinic in Selcuk, the clinic is open 24/7 and in an emergency the order is set by severity rather than arrival time. For spreading facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or toothache with fever, go to the nearest emergency department.
Preparing for a Dental Appointment: What to Bring and What to Say
The quality of an examination is proportional to the information the dentist has. Five minutes of preparation markedly improves what the appointment achieves.
What to bring
These directly affect the treatment plan:
- A list of all your medications, with doses
- Any previous radiographs — even a photo on your phone
- Your latest INR if you take an anticoagulant
- Known allergies: medication, latex, metal
- Any denture or night guard you use
What must be mentioned
Some information seems unimportant to patients but changes the plan: a prosthetic heart valve, previous endocarditis, bone-density medications, a history of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, possible pregnancy, uncontrolled diabetes, and a heart attack or stroke in the last six months. These are not things to withhold; they do not prevent treatment, they make it safe.
How to describe the complaint
"My tooth hurts" gives little to work with. Prepare these: when it started, at what time it worsens, what triggers it (cold, heat, sweet, biting), how long it lasts and what relieves it. Whether it wakes you at night matters particularly — that single piece of information largely determines whether the treatment is a filling or a root canal.
