If you are going to a dental visit soon, you should expect your dentist to look inside your mouth for signs of gum disease. Gum disease is something that affects a lot of people, and it can cause severe damage to your mouth if you do not get the treatment you need. As your dentist examines your mouth, he or she will look for the following signs as they indicate that you might have the initial stages of gum disease.

Gum recession

The first, and most common, sign of gum disease is receding gum lines. If you have gum disease, your gums will start receding and will continue receding until you undergo treatment for the gum disease. In some cases, dentists can see receding gums just by looking at a person's gums. In other cases, dentists will measure the gum lines to determine how deep the pockets are, which are the areas between the gums and teeth. When these pockets reach a certain depth, the person will need to go through treatment for gum disease. If you have gum disease and never get it treated, your gums will simply continue receding. Eventually, this will cause your teeth to fall out.

Bleeding, swollen, or discolored gums

Secondly, your dentist will examine your gums to look for signs of swelling, bleeding, or discoloration on your gums. Healthy gums are light pink in color, and dentists can often spot gum disease just by spotting irregularities with a person's gums. Dentists primarily look for signs of bleeding or swelling on the gums, and they can also detect gum disease when they see patches of the gums that are not normal in color.

Large levels of plaque on your gum lines

The other thing the dentist might look for is large levels of plaque on your gum lines. Plaque found on the gum lines is what will eventually cause you to develop gum disease if you leave the plaque on your teeth. If you have a lot of plaque, it does not mean that you have gum disease right now, but it might mean that you have a higher risk of developing it in the future.

Gum disease is not something you should mess around with or ignore. It requires treatment, and it can cause a lot of problems in your mouth if you ignore it. To learn more about gum disease symptoms and treatment options, visit a local dentist today, such as at Belgrade Dental Associates.