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Dentist visit prep
Ten minutes before the visit saves you from remembering everything on the way home. The four photos, the questions worth asking, and a one-page checklist to print.
Why photos help at the visit
A dentist sees your gums for a few minutes every six months or a year. You see them every day, which is why slow change is hard to notice for both of you. Four photos taken the same way each month give the dentist something neither memory can: a before and after that line up. Bring the oldest set you have along with the newest.
What the dentist will likely do
- Look and measure. A thin probe measures how far the gum has moved from the enamel edge, in millimeters, and how deep the pocket is between gum and tooth.
- Check for inflammation. Bleeding when the probe touches the gum is a sign of gum inflammation.
- Perhaps take X-rays. They show the bone that photos and mirrors cannot.
- Talk about the cause and the plan. That might be watching it, a cleaning, a change of brush or technique, covering a sensitive root, or a referral to a periodontist, a dentist who specializes in gums.
Good to know
A dentist may write numbers like "2 mm recession on 31". Teeth are numbered by position: in the system most of the world uses, 31 and 41 are the two lower front teeth. Ask which teeth they mean, and write the numbers on your checklist so you can compare at the next visit.
When to see a dentist
Do not wait for a routine visit if your gums bleed on their own, there is pus or a bump on the gum, a gum is swollen, a tooth feels loose, there is pain, or a tooth looks longer within weeks. Swelling of the face or jaw with a fever needs care the same day.
New guides are on the way. Until then, see what to do next or every guide.
Sources
What happens at a periodontal exam follows the American Academy of Periodontology and the American Dental Association. The tooth numbering is the FDI World Dental Federation two-digit system; the US often uses the Universal system (1 to 32) instead, so ask which one your dentist uses.
Questions
What should I ask my dentist about receding gums?
How much recession you have in millimeters and on which teeth, whether it is moving compared with your last chart, whether you have gum inflammation, what is causing it in your case, whether your brushing is too hard, and whether a periodontist should see it. The checklist on this page lets you pick and print them.
How do I take good photos of my gums?
Brush first, use daylight or a bright bathroom light with no flash, pull the lips and cheeks fully away from the gum, and hold the phone level with your teeth at the same distance every time. Take the same four angles each month: front, left side, right side and lower front.
Will my dentist look at my photos?
Many will, especially a set taken the same way months apart. Ask at the start of the visit. A one-page report or four clear photos is quicker to look at than a camera roll.
What is a periodontist?
A dentist with extra training in the gums and the bone around the teeth. A general dentist may refer you to one for gum disease or recession that needs more than a cleaning, such as a gum graft.
Is this a diagnosis?
No. GumScout gives an AI estimate from photos. It is not a dental exam and cannot diagnose gum disease. This page helps you prepare; your dentist can confirm what is going on.