Gingiva

Stippling (dentistry)
... The gingiva often possess a textured surface that is referred to as being stippled (engraved points) ... Stippling only presents on the attached gingiva bound to underlying alveolar bone, not the freely moveable alveolar mucosa ... used to be thought to indicate health, but it has since been shown that smooth gingiva is not an indication of disease, unless it is smooth due to a loss of previously existing stippling ...

Mucogingival Junction - Clinical Importance
... of the mucogingival junction is in measuring the width of attached gingiva ... Attached gingiva is important because it is bound very tightly to the underlying alveolar bone and provides protection to the mucosa during functional use of the structures of the oral cavity during function, such ... Without attached gingiva, the freely moveable alveolar mucosa, being more fragile, would suffer injury during eating and cleansing activities, such as brushing of the teeth ...

Gingival Margin
... This interface exists at the most coronal point of the gingiva, otherwise known as the crest of the marginal gingiva ... Because the short part of gingiva existing above the height of the underlying Alveolar process of maxilla, known as the free gingiva, is not bound down to the periosteum that envelops the bone ... as the dentogingival and circular fibers, the free gingiva remains pulled up against the surface of the tooth unless being pushed away by, for example, a periodontal probe or the bristles of a toothbrush ...

Gingival Hypertrophy - Other Animals
... Some areas of the gingiva can become quite large but have only a small attachment to the rest of the gingiva, and it may completely cover the teeth ... Infection and inflammation of the gingiva is common with this condition ... Under anesthesia, the enlarged areas of gingiva can be cut back with a scalpel blade, but it usually recurs ...