What is gum disease?

The technical term for gum disease is periodontitis, formerly known as Pyorrhea alveolaris, and it is the name of a collection of inflammatory diseases affecting the tissues that surround and support the teeth.

Periodontitis involves progressive loss of the bone around teeth which may lead to loosening and eventual loss of teeth if untreated. Periodontitis is caused by bacteria that adhere to and grow on tooth surfaces (microbial plaque or biofilms), particularly in areas under the gum line.

Periodontitis is very common in most populations but the severe forms of the disease are less common. Dentists diagnose periodontitis by inspecting the tissues around the teeth with a probe and by radiographs to detect bone loss around the teeth. Although the different forms of periodontitis are bacterial diseases, a variety of factors affect the severity of the disease. Important "risk factors" include smoking, poorly controlled diabetes, and inherited (genetic) susceptibility.

Periodontitis

Periodontitis is an inflammation of the periodontium, or one of the four tissues that support the teeth in the mouth:

the gingiva, or gum tissue
the cementum, or outer layer of the roots of teeth
the alveolar bone, or the bony sockets into which the teeth are anchored
the periodontal ligaments (PDLs), which are the connective tissue fibres that connect the cementum and the gingiva to the alveolar bone.

If left untreated, periodontitis causes progressive bone loss around teeth, looseness of the teeth and eventual tooth loss.