Healthy gums are firm, pink or coral-colored, and sit snugly against each tooth. Gum decay, more accurately called gum disease or periodontal disease, changes that appearance in stages, starting with subtle color shifts and progressing to visible tissue loss, pus, and loose teeth. Knowing what each stage looks like helps you catch problems early, when they’re easiest to treat.
What Healthy Gums Look Like
Before you can spot something wrong, it helps to know your baseline. Healthy gums are generally pink or coral, though the exact shade varies with skin tone. Darker or lighter pink is normal as long as the color is consistent and there’s no localized redness. The tissue should feel firm, not puffy, and it shouldn’t bleed when you brush or floss. Healthy gums also fill the small triangular spaces between your teeth completely, with no gaps or dark spots visible.
Early Signs: Red, Puffy, Bleeding Gums
The earliest stage of gum disease is gingivitis, and its visual signs are easy to miss if you’re not looking closely. The gums shift from their usual pink to bright red or dark red. In people with darker skin tones, the gums may simply look darker than usual rather than obviously red. The tissue becomes swollen or puffy, particularly along the gum line closest to the teeth.
Bleeding is the symptom most people notice first. You might see pink in the sink after brushing, or blood on your floss. At this stage, there’s no permanent damage to the bone or tissue underneath, so the changes are fully reversible with better oral hygiene.
You may also notice a yellowish or creamy-white buildup along the gum line. This is tartar (calcite plaque that has hardened onto the tooth surface). Supragingival tartar, the kind you can see above the gum line, ranges from white to yellow to brown. It clings to the tooth and can’t be brushed away at home.
Gum Recession and Exposed Roots
As gum disease progresses, the tissue starts pulling away from the teeth. This is gum recession, and its most obvious sign is that your teeth look longer than they used to. What you’re actually seeing is the root surface becoming visible. Unlike the crown of your tooth, which is covered in hard enamel, the root is covered in a softer material called cementum. Exposed roots often look slightly darker or more yellow than the rest of the tooth.
Recession also creates sensitivity. If cold water or air hitting certain teeth causes a sharp sting, that’s often because the root is now exposed. You might notice recession on just one or two teeth at first, especially on teeth you brush aggressively or where the gum tissue is naturally thinner.
Black Triangles Between Teeth
One of the more noticeable cosmetic signs of advancing gum disease is the appearance of dark, triangular gaps between teeth. These “black triangles” form when the small pointed piece of gum tissue that normally fills the space between two teeth (the papilla) shrinks or disappears. The underlying cause is typically inflammation that has destroyed the tiny bit of bone supporting that tissue.
People with narrow, triangular-shaped teeth are more prone to visible black triangles than those with broader, squarer teeth. The gaps aren’t just a cosmetic issue. They trap food, which accelerates the cycle of plaque buildup and further tissue loss.
Pockets, Pus, and Loose Teeth
In moderate to advanced gum disease, the space between each tooth and the surrounding gum deepens into what dentists call a periodontal pocket. You can’t measure this at home, but you can sometimes see its effects. A healthy gap measures 1 to 3 millimeters. Pockets of 4 to 5 millimeters indicate early periodontitis. At 5 to 7 millimeters, the disease is moderate. Pockets deeper than 7 millimeters signal advanced periodontitis with significant bone loss.
What this looks like in the mirror: gums that appear to have pulled away from the teeth, a visible dark line or gap where the gum meets the tooth, and possibly a yellowish or greenish discharge (pus) oozing from the gum line. A periodontal abscess, a localized pocket of infection, looks like a boil or pimple on the gums. It’s usually darker than the surrounding tissue and visibly swollen, ranging from a small bump to a large, painful lump.
At this stage, teeth may feel loose or shift position. You might notice that your bite feels different, or that teeth that once fit tightly together now have gaps between them.
Necrotizing Gum Disease: The Most Severe Form
The most visually dramatic form of gum disease is necrotizing periodontal disease, where the tissue actually dies. The hallmark sign is a “punched-out” or cratered appearance of the gum tissue between teeth, as if small scoops have been taken out of the papillae. The necrotic tissue is often covered by a grayish-white film (a pseudomembrane) that sits over the ulcerated surface.
This form of gum disease progresses rapidly and is typically accompanied by severe pain, foul breath, and sometimes fever and swollen lymph nodes. It’s far less common than standard gingivitis or periodontitis but requires prompt treatment to prevent extensive tissue destruction.
How to Check Your Own Gums
You can do a basic visual check at home with a mirror and good lighting. Look for these specific changes:
- Color shifts: reddish, purplish, or unusually dark gums, especially along the gum line
- Swelling: gums that look puffy or rounded instead of firm and flat against the teeth
- Bleeding: any blood when brushing, flossing, or eating
- Recession: teeth that appear longer, or visible root surfaces near the gum line
- Tartar buildup: hard, yellowish or brownish deposits along or just below the gum line
- Dark gaps: triangular spaces between teeth where gum tissue used to be
- Pus or bumps: any discharge from the gums, or a pimple-like bump on the tissue
- Loose teeth: teeth that wiggle or have shifted position
Below the gum line, tartar becomes harder to detect. Subgingival calculus is often dark-colored and clings to root surfaces in grooves and concavities that you can’t see or feel. This is why regular dental cleanings catch problems that home inspections miss. The gap between what looks fine on the surface and what’s happening underneath is one of the reasons gum disease can progress silently for years before the visible damage becomes obvious.