The free gingival margin is the interface between the

sulcular epithelium The sulcular epithelium is that epithelium which lines the gingival sulcus.Carranza's Clinical Periodontology, W.B. Saunders, 2002, page 23. It is apically bounded by the junctional epithelium and meets the epithelium of the oral cavity at the he ...

and the

epithelium Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellul ...

of the

oral cavity In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

. This interface exists at the most coronal point of the

gingiva The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue lini ...

, 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 The alveolar process () or alveolar bone is the thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth sockets on the jaw bones (in humans, the maxilla and the mandible). The structures are covered by gums as part of the oral cavity. The synonymous ter ...

, known as the free gingiva, is not bound down to the

periosteum The periosteum is a membrane that covers the outer surface of all bones, except at the articular surfaces (i.e. the parts within a joint space) of long bones. Endosteum lines the inner surface of the medullary cavity of all long bones. Structure ...

that envelops the bone, it is moveable. However, due to the presence of

gingival fibers The gingival fibers are the connective tissue fibers that inhabit the gingival tissue adjacent to teeth and help hold the tissue firmly against the teeth. They are primarily composed of type I collagen, although type III fibers are also involved. ...

such 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 A periodontal probe is an instrument in dentistry commonly used in the dental armamentarium. It is usually long, thin, and blunted at the end. The primary purpose of a periodontal probe is to measure pocket depths around a tooth in order to establ ...

or the bristles of a

toothbrush A toothbrush is an oral hygiene tool used to clean the teeth, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle which facilitates the cleaning of hard-to-reach are ...

Gingival retraction or recession

''Gingival retraction'' or ''gingival recession'' is when there is lateral movement of the gingival margin away from the tooth surface. It is usually termed ''gingival retraction'' as an intentional procedure, and in such cases it is performed by mechanical, chemical, or electrical means in order to perform certain

dental surgery Dental surgery is any of a number of medical procedures that involve artificially modifying dentition; in other words, surgery of the teeth, gums and jaw bones. Types Some of the more common are: * Endodontic (surgery involving the pulp or root ...

procedures. It is usually referred to as

marginal gingivae The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue lini ...

away from the tooth by mechanical, chemical, or surgical means. It may expose the roots of the teeth, similarly to

gingival recession Gingival recession, also known as receding gums, is the exposure in the roots of the teeth caused by a loss of gum tissue and/or retraction of the gingival margin from the crown of the teeth.haemostasis In biology, hemostasis American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or haemostasis is a process to prevent and stop bleeding, meaning to keep blood within a damaged blood vessel (the opposite of hemostasis is Bleeding, hemorrhage). ...

at the sulcus.

References

Gingiva {{dentistry-stub