🩸 Periodontal Pocket Depth Probing Simulator

Healthy Gingival Sulcus

A healthy sulcus probes shallow with no bleeding.

• 1–3 mm: Normal sulcus depth (no disease present)
• <10%: Bleeding on probing (sites in health)
• 0 mm: Attachment loss (tissue fully intact)
• ~25 g: Probing force (light, controlled pressure)

What the probe actually measures

Distance from gum margin to pocket base, in mm.

Why healthy tissue resists bleeding

Tight junctional epithelium seals out probe trauma.

Setting the diagnostic baseline

Healthy readings anchor future disease comparisons.

Probe Insertion Technique

Correct angulation keeps the depth reading accurate.

• ~parallel: Probe angulation (to tooth long axis)
• 1 mm steps: Walking stroke (around each tooth)
• 6: Sites per tooth (standard full-mouth chart)
• nearest mm: Reading rounding (standard convention)

Guiding the tip along the tooth

Keep the probe tip against the root surface.

Finding resistance at the base

Gentle pressure stops at junctional epithelium.

Avoiding false high readings

Too much angulation or force overstates depth.

Gingivitis Pocket

Inflammation deepens the pocket without losing attachment.

• 3–4 mm: Typical depth (pseudo-pocket forming)
• >50%: Bleeding on probing (inflamed sites)
• 0 mm: Attachment loss (still reversible)
• Full: Reversibility (with plaque control)

Swelling without bone change

Edema raises the margin, not the attachment level.

Why bleeding appears now

Fragile, engorged capillaries rupture under light probing.

The reversible window

Plaque control alone restores the healthy sulcus.

Moderate Periodontitis Pocket

Depth and attachment loss now rise together.

• 4–5 mm: Typical depth (true periodontal pocket)
• 1–2 mm: Attachment loss (measurable, not reversible)
• ~70%: Bleeding on probing (active sites)
• Mild–moderate: Bone loss (on radiographs)

True pocket, not just swelling

Junctional epithelium migrates apically along the root.

Reading attachment loss

CAL adds recession to the probing depth.

Treatment implications

Scaling and root planing targets this stage.

Severe Periodontitis Pocket

Deep pockets signal major bone and attachment loss.

• >5–6 mm: Typical depth (advanced destruction)
• >4 mm: Attachment loss (severe, often irreversible)
• ~90%: Bleeding on probing (actively progressing sites)
• Elevated: Tooth risk (mobility and loss risk)

Bone support collapses

Alveolar bone recedes well below the cementoenamel junction.

Why the probe sinks deeper

Little tissue resistance remains at the pocket base.

Beyond nonsurgical therapy

Deep sites often require surgical intervention.