Gum disease comes in different stages, and these stages are important. The stage that your gum disease is in will determine whether or not it can be treated at home or if you need help from a dentist's office to fix it. If you aren't sure which type of gum disease you have or you're worried that it might be severe, then check to see if you're experiencing any of these symptoms. They're only common when you have the more advanced form of gum disease called periodontitis.
Pus
Most people know that unhappy gums that have gum disease can bleed, but did you know that they can produce pus, too?
Pus is essentially just white blood cells and foreign invaders that they've killed. When the white blood cells consume the bacterial or viral invader, they die too, and the body ejects it for your own safety. This is all that pus is.
Pus is common in the more advanced stage of gum disease because gum disease is essentially an infection. Your immune system is doing everything that it can to stave it off, but unfortunately, it won't be enough on its own.
Smell
Earlier stages of gum disease rarely have any scent connected to them. And there's a big difference between the smell that late-stage gum disease-riddled gums produce versus bad breath.
The reason that gums can sometimes produce bad smells at this stage is because the tissue is starting to decay. If gum disease goes on long enough, gum tissue can die, which creates a very foul smell and sometimes nasty taste in the mouth, too. Earlier stages of gum disease typically don't harm gums this much - they may be inflamed and infected, but the tissue won't die.
Receding
Another problem that you may experience is that your gums may recede. This essentially means that they pull back and away from the teeth, making them look longer in the process.
Receding gums do more than change your appearance. They also put your teeth at risk. Only a part of the tooth is actually covered with enamel; the other part that's normally hidden under your gums doesn't have it, as the gums take care of protecting this part of the tooth. Once the gums pull away from it, though, your tooth becomes susceptible to being attacked by the same bacteria that caused your gum disease, which can lead to cavities.
If you are exhibiting any of these symptoms it is important to seek the advice of trained dentists in your area.
