The Stages of Gum Disease

Gingivitis is the most common form of gum disease, generally speaking it is advised that you should seek treatment as soon as possible. However, a lot of patients often express that they don’t know how serious and at what stage the gum disease is at. So here is a rough guide for you to determine the stages of gum disease.  

How to Determine the Stage of Gum Disease

How is gum disease determined? Usually a dentist will have to examine the symptoms, dental x-rays and use a periodontal probe that measures how deep any gaps are between your teeth and gums.

1. Gingivitis: Inflammation of the gums which has not yet progressed into the more serious periodontits. The main symptoms of gingivitis is swollen gums, tender of painful gums and receding gums.  

Treatment: For gingivitis a professional dental clean is required to remove dental calculus, with improved oral hygiene the symptoms will subside.

2. Moderate Periodontitis: Dental calculus build-up along the gum line which irritates the gum and causes gaps to form between the gum and teeth. Gum pockets will harbor bacteria and in the long-term these gum pockets will become deeper, dental calculus and bacteria will continue to irritate the gums resulting in receding gums and tooth roots will become exposed.   

Treatment: At this stage a dentist will carry out a clean above the gum line and scaling below the gum line. After this basic treatment, the dentist will have to assess the success of the treatment before going ahead with other treatment.

3. Severe Periodontitis: When periodontitis develops to a severe degree, the gum pocket will continue to deepen, the gums will continue to recede , the teeth will not only look longer and there will be the loss of bone and the teeth will begin to loosen and perhaps even fall out. 

Treatment: In cases of severe periodontitis treatment becomes difficult. Basic treatment will be carried out followed by periodontal surgery. Firstly, the teeth with a mobility grade of 1 or 2 are preserved, however, if the tooth is already very loose then the only option is extraction.

Therefore, regardless of the stage of gum disease or periodontitis, patients should go through with treatment as soon as possible. Preventive measure such as brushing, flossing and rinsing along with regular dental examinations should be done.