What are the signs and symptoms of gum disease?

Because periodontal disease attacks beneath the gum line, you could have an infection and not know it.

And while there are usually a few signs and symptoms of the disease: red, swollen, or bleeding gums; bad breath; loose teeth; gums that bleed upon brushing, some people experience no symptoms at all.

Any member of your dental healthcare team—your dentist, your hygienist, or your periodontist—can determine whether you have periodontal disease by measuring the depth of pocketing, or the spaces or gaps in the gums around the teeth.

This is done with a special instrument that measures depth.

Pockets that measure 4 or more millimeters (mm) in depth, and/or gums that bleed during probing, may mean that infection is present.