When the gums and bone around your teeth are healthy, your teeth are stably in position and the gums are firmly attached around your teeth. They are pink in color, firm, and do not bleed easily.

Bacteria accumulate on your teeth and below your gum line from food and other sources. If these bacteria are not adequately removed with brushing and flossing, they form a sticky biofilm on your teeth known as plaque. As the plaque builds up, large deposits start to harden into what is called calculus, or tartar.

The bacteria in the plaque and tartar give off toxins that start inflammation that results in the detachment of the gums from the teeth. The surrounding bone starts to be eaten away as well. As the bacterial infection progresses in size and severity, the gum detachment and bone loss becomes more advanced and the teeth eventually become loose and can be lost.