What is Gum Disease?
Gum disease is a very common condition that affects more than half of adults with natural teeth. It can be treated by a dentist and in the early stages the effects can be reversed. Early treatment is essential since later on the effects can only be stabilised.
There are three main types of gum disease: gingivitis, periodontitis and acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG).
Gum disease is triggered when plaque is left to build up around teeth, hardening into tartar (calculus) and causing the gums to become inflamed. You are more likely to get the condition if you smoke, during pregnancy (although usually reverses) or with conditions such as diabetes.

Types of Gum Disease
Recession
Receding gums are a common complaint from patients and the primary concern is that this is a sign of gum disease. This is not usually the case. Whilst recession can be a sign, there are many other reasons for this to occur. Heavy handed brushing and tooth grinding are common causes. When gums recede they often result is more sensitive teeth. This is because the dentine of the root surface becomes exposed. Dentine is made up of millions of tubes which go from the surface to the nerve and are filled with fluid. When stimulated the nerve senses this and the sensitive twinge is felt. There are Toothpastes that block these tubes and make the teeth less sensitive. Please ask your dentist for advice.
Gingivitis
Signs of gingivitis are usually bleeding gums. If you have gingivitis, your gums have become inflamed due to plaque being left on the surface of the teeth, often in between the teeth. If you don’t clean plaque off your teeth regularly, your gums will become red, swollen and will bleed. This is the early stage of gum disease and is reversible. If you brush well, floss or use interdental brushes to remove the plaque, your gums will recover. However, failure to do this, often a common reason is the bleeding, the gingivitis may develop into periodontitis.
Periodontitis
In some people gingivitis can develop into a condition called periodontitis. This is where the inflammation now starts to affect the tissues around the root of the tooth leading to loss of the bone support for the tooth. As the gums shrink back, roots are more exposed raising the risks of sensitivity and decay. You may also notice the teeth becoming loose. However, in some cases there are no obvious signs so it is important to have your teeth and gums checked regularly.
Left untreated, the teeth will eventually become so loose that extractions are the only option.
Treatment is largely about stabilising the loss, preventing it getting any worse. A large part of this is down to the commitment of the patient to enhanced oral hygiene measures, flossing, interdental brushes and good brushing.
Acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis
This condition is characterised by a grey appearance on the tips of the papillae. These are the normally triangular bits of gum between the teeth. Often there is a bad taste and foul smell as well. Typically it occurs in smokers. It is important to treat quickly since the loss of gum around the teeth is often permanent, however, it responds well to antibiotics.