Gum disease can wreak havoc on your teeth and gums, so it’s important to watch out for the signs of gum disease. While gum disease is preventable and usually treatable, if you ignore the signs of gum disease and put off a visit to the dentist, you can have irreversible side effects that will impact your teeth and gums long term.

What is gum disease? 

Gum disease is essentially an infection of your gums from improper oral care and bacteria in your mouth. Gum disease often starts out as gingivitis, which is a very mild form of gum disease. With gingivitis, your gums can become red and swollen, though early gingivitis typically does not cause any pain. You might notice, however, that your gums bleed easily when you brush or floss your teeth if you have gingivitis.

If gingivitis is not treated, it can advance to periodontitis, which is a more advanced stage of gum disease. Periodontitis occurs when the same plaque that causes gingivitis starts to spread beneath the gum line. This then instigates an inflammatory response in the body which causes your gums and tissues supporting your teeth to break down.

What are the signs of gum disease?

The first stages of gum disease are often unnoticeable, and that’s what makes proper oral hygiene and consistent dental cleanings so important. When you are experiencing gingivitis, you may not have many visible signs of gum disease—at least not to the naked untrained eye. You might notice your gums bleed occasionally when you brush or floss your teeth, but there is often little to no pain associated with the early stages of gum disease.

As your gum disease advances, however, you may notice some additional symptoms. Once gingivitis moves into later stages of gum disease and eventually becomes periodontitis, you may start to notice your gums receding and pulling away from your teeth. People often note that this makes their teeth look longer than they have previously.

You may also start to notice your teeth becoming loose. This is never a good sign (unless you’re an adolescent who still has not lost all of their baby teeth!) When periodontitis becomes advanced, you might start to notice pus in between your gums and teeth, sores in your mouth, and even bad breath. As your teeth become looser and your gums recede, your teeth may even start to shift and impact your bite and the way any dentures or oral appliances fit.

What to do if you notice signs of gum disease.

If you are starting to notice any of the signs mentioned above, it’s important to head to your dentist to get your teeth checked out. Most of the time, aside from in cases of extremely advanced gum disease, there are treatment options available that can help you restore your teeth to their prior un-diseased state. But in order for that to happen, you need to seek out the advice of your dentist so you can get all the information and tools you need to reverse your gum disease.

If you’re worried about your gums and concerned you might have gum disease, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert dentists. We’ll help diagnose the problem and get you on your way to a happier, healthier smile!