What is periodontitis and its symptoms?
Periodontal disease appears in a variety of different stages. The earliest stage is gingivitis, which is inflammation just at the surface of the gum tissue. Gingivitis is seldom painful and causes relatively minor symptoms such as red, swollen, bleeding gums and mild pus formation. If left untreated, the condition can advance to periodontitis, an infection that extends to the supporting bone. Patients with periodontitis develop deep pockets between the gums and teeth. Bacteria invade these pockets and from there can infect and destroy the underlying connective tissue and bone, loosening the teeth. Gingivitis does not necessarily develop into periodontitis. You can have gingivitis all your adult life and not have periodontitis, but everyone who has periodontitis will have had gingivitis at some point.
