The gingiva, or what we refer to as the gums, is the tissue around the base of the teeth. Healthy gums are pale pink and fit tightly around the teeth. Good oral hygiene and regular dental examinations will help to maintain oral health and, if problems develop, detect them in the early stage to prevent future more serious problems. There are a number of symptoms which may indicate early gum disease.
Bad breath can happen anytime thanks to the hundreds of types of bad breath-causing bacteria that naturally live in the mouth. When you eat, bacteria feed on the food left in your mouth and leave a foul-smelling waste product behind. However, bad breath that just won’t go away or a constant bad taste in your mouth can be a warning sign of advanced gum disease, which is caused by sticky, cavity-causing bacteria called biofilm plaque.
Other causes of halitosis include:
Although there are numerous non-gum-related causes, an oral infection is the most common cause of bleeding gums. Many people consider bleeding gums as simply a fact of life and fail to recognize that they may be an indication of an oral infection that, left untreated, could eventually lead to tooth loss.
This is a sticky colorless deposit at first, but when it forms tartar, it is often brown or pale yellow. It is commonly found on all surfaces of the teeth and along the gumline or below the margins of the gumline. If ignored, the plaque becomes hardened and leads to gingivitis, inflammation at the gumline.
Regular dental check-ups and good oral hygiene could prevent gum disease from progressing to the most serious stages, known as gingivitis and periodontitis. Some of the symptoms are similar for both diseases but are typically much more severe for periodontitis.
At this stage, treatment is imperative. Left untreated, tooth loss most likely will occur, putting a person at risk for poor nutrition, certain systemic conditions, and possible social discomfort.
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