This factsheet is for people who have gum disease, or who would like information about it.

Gum disease is inflammation of the gums (gingivae) and damage to the bone that anchors teeth in the jaws.

About gum disease

Gum disease is very common – it affects more than half of adults with natural teeth. It can be treated by a dentist or hygienist and in the early stages the effects can be reversed. 

There are three main types of gum disease: gingivitis, periodontitis and acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG).

Gingivitis

If you have gingivitis, your gums become irritated by plaque, which is a mixture of food, bacteria and bacterial waste products that can build up on your teeth. If you don’t clean plaque off your teeth regularly, your gums will become red, swollen and shiny, and they may bleed. This is the early stage of gum disease and is completely reversible. If you remove the plaque, your gums will recover. But if you don’t clean the plaque off your teeth, the gingivitis may develop into periodontitis.

Periodontitis

If you don’t get treatment for gingivitis, your gums may begin to pull away from your teeth, leaving small pockets. These pockets trap plaque that you can't reach with a toothbrush. Over time, the plaque will harden to become tartar (calculus). Plaque and tartar build-up can cause further irritation, which may gradually spread to the bone structures around your teeth. As time goes on, the pockets can get deeper and more difficult to clean, and your gum and bone may shrink. This is called periodontitis.

If your gums shrink, they can expose some of the roots of your teeth, making them sensitive. And if you have bone loss, your teeth may become loose. If you don’t get treatment for a number of years, your teeth may fall out, or need to be taken out by a dentist.

It's rarely possible to make the bone structures grow back, so periodontal pockets aren’t generally reversible. However, if you receive the appropriate treatment and make sure you floss and brush your teeth well, the progress of the disease can be stopped.

This factsheet is for people who would like information about caring for their teeth.

Keeping up good dental hygiene, including brushing and visiting a dentist regularly, is a crucial part of caring for teeth. This factsheet describes some of the most common dental problems, and ways to keep teeth healthy.

Tooth decay

Soon after you brush your teeth, a thin, sticky layer of bacteria forms on the surfaces of all your teeth. This layer of bacteria is called plaque.

When you eat anything sugary, the bacteria on your teeth turn the sugar into energy and acid. This acid softens and dissolves the hard enamel surface of your teeth in a process called demineralisation. Over time, demineralisation can cause cavities to form in your teeth. This is known as tooth decay or caries.

The enamel surface of your teeth doesn't contain any nerves, so you won't initially feel any pain when you start to get a cavity. Eventually, however, a cavity may reach the dentine – the yellowish substance underneath the enamel that forms the bulk of your tooth. Dentine is sensitive to pain, so more advanced cavities may cause pain, especially when you eat or drink anything hot, sugary or acidic.

Saliva helps to wash away and neutralise the acid on your teeth. It contains minerals to replace those lost from the enamel in a process called remineralisation.

Demineralisation and remineralisation happen every time you eat or drink something sugary. If you consume sugary food or drinks too often, the saliva doesn't get long enough to fully remineralise your teeth. This will increase your risk of getting tooth decay.

Gum disease

Gum disease is inflammation of your gums and damage to the bone that anchors your teeth into your jaw. Gum disease is very common and affects more than half of adults who have their own (natural) teeth.

If you don't clean plaque off your teeth regularly, your gums will become red, swollen and shiny, and they may bleed. This is the early stage of gum disease, called gingivitis. Gingivitis is completely reversible. If you remove the plaque, your gums will get better.

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