60 Theories and techniques of oral implantology

Free gingival groove

Stippled attached gingiva

Fig. 3-11. The free marginal groove is generally level with the gingival sulcus. (From Sicher, H., editor: Orban's oral histology and embryology, ed. 6, St. Louis, 1966, The C. V. Mosby Co.)

Fig. 3-12. The interdental papillae are pyramids of tissue on the buccal and lingual surfaces of the teeth.

Fig. 3-13. The interdental papillae curve toward the alveolar crest to accommodate the mesial contact between adjacent teeth. (Redrawn from Glickman, I.: Clinical periodontology, Philadelphia, 1964, W. B. Saunders Co.)

toward the interproximal contact area. The tissue extending from the labial to the lingual pyramids across the alveolar crest is curved toward the crest to accommodate the mesial contact between the adjacent teeth. This dip is called a col, from its fancied similarity to a path between two mountain peaks (Fig. 3-13). When a tooth is lost or if the teeth are wide apart, the interdental gingiva re-cedes and the gingiva becomes firmly attached to the interdental bone. In such cases there are no papillae or cols.

The gingiva contains collagen fiber bundles that either brace or bind the gingiva to their underlying structures, preventing displacement during functional movements of the jaws. Those in the marginal gingiva form distinct groups (Fig. 3-14). In

Fig. 3-14. Fiber groups of the marginal gingiva extending from the cementum to various areas. (Redrawn from Glick-man, I.: Clinical periodontology, Philadelphia, 1964, W. B. Saunders Co.)