Medically reviewed by Edmund Khoo, DDS Periodontal disease (gum disease) is a bacterial infection of the gums that affects ...

It starts from not cleaning your mouth properly. Gum disease is treated typically with antibiotics and removing all the bacteria and the tartar and the debris from the mouth, what we call deep ...

When tartar builds up and spreads below the gumline, that's when gum disease can occur. Mild gum disease is called gingivitis, and causes gums to become red and inflamed. They may even bleed.

But plaque, the soft, whitish gunk that builds up on teeth near the gums, can harden into tartar. When bacteria accumulate along the gums, and plaque and tartar progress unabated, gum infections ...