The periodontist will also take a small measuring instrument called a probe and place it between the teeth and gums to determine the depth of those spaces, known as periodontal pockets; this helps the periodontist assess the health of the gums.
The ground substance of connective tissue is different from all of these fluids; it is the liquid medium through which these other fluid exchanges take place.
Structural Elements of Connective Tissue. Extracellular Matrix = Ground substance that has a lot of sugar-proteins and large sugars. Extracellular matrix is composed of ground substance (ranges from gel-like to hard in texture) and protein fibers (collagen, reticular, elastic).