What are periodontal files & markers?

Two instruments serving resective periodontal work. Files carry multiple cutting edges on a flat head used to crush and fracture burnished or tenacious calculus that a curette skates over. Pocket markers are paired-beak forceps that pinch the gingiva to produce a bleeding point at the base of the pocket, laying out the incision line for a gingivectomy.

Choosing the right periodontal files & marker

Use a file to break up burnished deposit, then a curette to remove it — a file alone leaves a roughened surface. Mark pocket depth at several points around each tooth before incising; a gingivectomy line drawn from three or four bleeding points per tooth follows the actual pocket contour rather than an assumed one.