Question

While presenting a treatment plan that includes a gingival grafting procedure surrounding tooth #21, your patient expresses concern that this may be over treatment because her probing depth in this area is only 2 mm. After helping her visualize the 4 mm of recession on the buccal surface of this tooth you explain that her clinical attachment loss (CAL) is ____________.

Answer 1

The patient's CAL is 6 mm, which justifies the gingival grafting procedure despite a 2 mm probing depth.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient's concern about the gingival grafting procedure being over treatment due to a probing depth of only 2 mm is valid. However, it's important to consider the presence of 4 mm of recession on the buccal surface of tooth #21. Clinical attachment loss (CAL) takes into account both the probing depth and the amount of recession.

In this case, the CAL can be calculated as the sum of the probing depth and the recession, which is 2 mm (probing depth) + 4 mm (recession) = 6 mm of clinical attachment loss.

It's essential to address this level of CAL through a gingival grafting procedure to prevent further recession and potential complications.