Gingiva is the clinical word for gums, the soft tissue that holds every tooth in place.

In kid words

"Gingiva is just a fancy word for your gums, the soft part that hugs snugly around every tooth." Your gums are not only there for looks, they help hold each tooth firmly in place, a little like soil holding a plant's roots. That is why brushing gently along the gum line, not just the teeth themselves, is part of a good routine.

The parent version

Gingiva is the clinical term for the gums, the soft tissue that surrounds the base of each tooth and covers the jawbone underneath. Mainstream dental guidance describes healthy gingiva as firm, snug against the tooth, and a fairly consistent shade of pink, with some natural variation from one child to the next.

Gum tissue is not fixed. It shifts throughout childhood as baby teeth arrive, loosen, and are eventually replaced by permanent teeth pushing up through it, so what looks typical at one stage of a child's dentition can look different at the next. Anything about your child's gums that looks different to you between visits is always worth asking your pediatric dentist about.

Where you might hear it at our office

Gum health is part of the comprehensive exam at every cleaning and exam, checked right alongside the professional cleaning and growth check that make up that visit. Our team looks at the gingiva around each tooth, not only the teeth themselves, because it is part of the full picture of a child's dental health.

If anything about your child's gingiva ever looks different to you between visits, it is always worth mentioning when you call to book. If another word from a visit is still a mystery, the rest of the dictionary is right here.

Related words

Words that often come up alongside gingiva: plaque, calculus, gumline.