u/pilates_muse

I’m a hygienist almost 1 year in and I’m honestly still confused about how hygienists confidently label a patient as “gingivitis” vs “perio.”
I hear people say it so casually like: “This patient has gingivitis” or This patient has perio”
But when I’m in clinic or especially if I’m temping/at a new office, it gets confusing. For example, if I walk in and see: generalized bleeding, inflammation, some 4mm pockets (maybe even a few 5mm), lots of plaque/calculus

How do you know if it’s just gingivitis with pseudopockets vs actual periodontal disease? What exactly are you looking for when you decide: gingivitis vs perio? stable perio vs active perio? to classify as Stage I/II etc?

Is it mainly based on attachment loss + bone loss? And if so, how do you confirm it quickly in a normal appointment setting?
I’d really appreciate if anyone could break down how they assess this in real practice, because I feel like I overthink it every time.

Thank you!!

Hi everyone,
I’m almost one year into dental hygiene and I feel like I’m still really struggling with detecting and removing subgingival calculus. Sometimes I can clearly see calc on the x-rays (especially interproximal areas under contacts), and I know it’s there… but when I’m scaling I honestly can’t always feel it properly. I’ll go sub-G with my Cavitron and then follow up with hand instruments, and I’ll get the big chunk off, but then the follow-up x-ray still shows a little spicule or leftover deposit.
It’s super frustrating because I don’t want to leave anything behind and I feel like my tactile sensitivity just isn’t there yet.
Does anyone have tips for improving detection of sub-G calculus? getting calc under contacts/interproximal areas, specific instruments you swear by for sub-G calc? Cavitron tips (insert selection/angulation/etc.)?
I’m trying my best but this keeps bothering me and I’d love advice from people who’ve been through this.
Thank you so much in advance 🥲

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