http://www.oramd.com/recedinggums/3-bleedingrecedinggums.htm When most of us think about periodontal (gum) disease, we probably can think of gingivitis. This is most likely due to the large number of toothpaste companies that promote products that help fight "plaque and the gum disease gingivitis". And honestly, if gum disease never got any worse than gingivitis, it probably would not be that big of a deal. y.