What causes swollen gums?
Where the swelling is tells you a lot. Swelling along many teeth usually comes from one of these:
- Gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease and the usual cause of bleeding gums. It reverses once the plaque along the gum line is cleaned away and kept away.
- Gum disease that has gone below the gum line, where pockets form and the bone starts to break down. That needs gum disease treatment.
- Pregnancy, when hormonal changes make the gums react more strongly to plaque.
- A few medications, including some taken for blood pressure or seizures, which can make the gums thicken. Tell us everything you take, and keep taking it unless your physician changes it.
Could it be an abscess?
Swelling in one spot has a more local cause. It may be something caught under the gum, such as a popcorn hull, or a gum flap over a wisdom tooth coming in. Or it may be a dental abscess, a pocket of infection at a root tip or in a deep gum pocket.
An abscess needs a dentist soon, and not every abscess hurts. Watch for:
- A swelling or a pimple-like bump on the gum near one tooth, which may leak.
- A throbbing pain, often worse when you bite or lie down.
- A bad taste, or salty fluid when the bump drains.
- A fever, or swollen glands under the jaw.
- Swelling that spreads into the cheek or face.
When is gum swelling an emergency?
A swelling near one tooth needs a call as soon as you notice it. Appointment scheduling is available 24/7, and treatment happens in the office, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tell whoever answers what has happened and they will get you seen. If you have a fever, say so.
Go to the nearest emergency room now for any of these, then call us afterward and we will take care of the dental side:
- Swelling that is closing an eye or spreading down the neck.
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- A suspected broken jaw.
- Bleeding that will not stop after firm pressure.
What helps swollen gums at home
Puffy gums need cleaning, even though they are sore, because plaque left in place keeps the swelling going. Until you are seen:
- Brush twice a day with a soft brush, angled toward the gum line, with gentle pressure.
- Floss once a day, gently, and if one spot is swollen, floss both sides of that tooth in case something is caught.
- Rinse with warm salt water a few times a day.
- Do not squeeze or pop a bump on the gum. Pressing on it can push the infection deeper.
- Take an over-the-counter pain reliever as the label directs. Do not hold aspirin or any tablet against the gum, because it burns the tissue.
- Do not start leftover antibiotics from the medicine cabinet. They can mask an infection without clearing it.
When should you see a dentist?
Puffy gums are rarely urgent. If it has been longer than you would like to admit since your last visit, that is the usual reason people call, and nobody here is going to make you feel bad about it. Arrange a visit if:
- Your gums stay swollen, red or quick to bleed despite careful cleaning every day.
- You have a loose tooth, or your bite feels different.
- A denture has rubbed a sore, swollen spot, which can be eased.
- There is a lump on the gum that does not go away, even if it does not hurt. It is usually something ordinary, but have it checked: every exam includes an oral cancer screening.
What happens at your visit
At the office on Tazewell Street in Pearisburg, we look at the gums, measure them with a thin probe to see whether pockets have formed, and take a digital X-ray where there is a reason for one. Then we show you what we found and explain the fix:
- Gingivitis: a thorough cleaning, and we show you where the plaque is being missed at home.
- Gum disease below the gum line: a deep cleaning under local anesthetic, with laser therapy and ARESTIN where they help, then cleanings every 3 to 4 months.
- Something trapped under the gum: cleaning it out, after which the gum usually settles.
- An abscess: draining the infection, then a root canal to save the tooth or taking it out, with antibiotics when the dentist judges they are needed.
Questions patients ask
Why is my gum swollen around one tooth?
Often something is caught under the gum, or there is an infection in a gum pocket or at a root tip. Floss gently around the tooth and rinse with warm salt water, and call if that does not settle it or there is pain, a bump or a bad taste.
Can swollen gums go away on their own?
Puffiness from plaque usually settles once the gums are cleaned properly every day. Swelling from an abscess does not go away by itself, even if it drains and stops hurting for a while, because the source of the infection is still there.
What is the bump on my gum that comes and goes?
A small bump near one tooth that fills up and drains, sometimes with a salty taste, is often an abscess. It can come and go without much pain, but the infection behind it stays. Leave it alone, rinse with warm salt water, and call.
Why are my gums swollen during pregnancy?
Hormonal changes make the gums react more strongly to plaque, so they swell and bleed more easily. Keep brushing and flossing gently, keep up your regular cleanings, and tell us you are pregnant when you call.