Swollen gum

Call today. A swollen gum can often wait a few hours, but the cause needs to be found. Call us today, and if the swelling is growing or you have a temperature, call now.

What to do now

1. Check for trapped food. Gently run dental floss between the teeth around the swollen area. A seed husk or a strand of meat stuck under the gum can cause a painful swelling.
2. Rinse with warm salt water. Half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, a few times a day.
3. Brush gently. Use a soft toothbrush and keep brushing the area, even if it bleeds a little. Bleeding when you brush usually comes from inflammation.
4. Take a painkiller if it hurts. An anti-inflammatory or a standard pharmacy painkiller, as the leaflet says. If your cheek is swollen, hold a cold compress on it for about 10 minutes, then take a break.

What not to do

• Do not prick or squeeze the swelling with a needle, a toothpick or your finger.
• Do not dig under the gum with sharp objects; use dental floss.
• Do not put heat on your cheek if it is swollen.
• Do not put an aspirin or any other tablet on the gum: it burns the lining of the mouth.
• Do not start leftover antibiotics you have at home. If you need them, the dentist will prescribe them.

When to come in

Call now if

• the swelling is growing or spreading to your cheek
• you have a temperature or feel unwell
• pus is coming from the gum, or you have a bad taste that will not go away
• the pain throbs and does not ease with a painkiller
• a tooth in the swollen area has become loose or hurts when you bite

It can wait for an appointment if

• your gums only bleed when you brush, with no pain
• the swelling is small, appeared after food got stuck between your teeth and goes down once the area is clean
• you have no temperature and the swelling is not growing

Call 112 or go to a hospital A&E (UPU) if the swelling makes it hard to breathe or swallow, if it spreads towards your eye or neck, or if the gum is bleeding heavily and does not stop after 20 minutes of pressure with gauze.

What we do at the clinic

The dentist looks for the cause: they examine the gum and the teeth around it, check whether anything is trapped under the gum and take an X-ray if needed. They explain what they have found before starting.

Treatment depends on the cause. Sometimes cleaning the area or a scale and clean is enough. If the infection comes from a tooth, root canal treatment is often needed; if there is an abscess in the gum, the dentist drains it. The dentist tells you at the consultation what can be done at the same visit.

How much it costs

Prices are in Romanian lei. The consultation is from 150 lei, and you do not pay for it if you have the treatment at the same visit. The cost of treatment depends on what is causing the swelling; you know the price before we start. See all prices.

Consultation	from 150 lei (≈ 28 €)
Scale and clean	from 400 lei (≈ 74 €)
Nerve removal	from 350 lei (≈ 65 €)

The price covers everything: the anaesthetic is included, and you do not pay for the consultation if you have the treatment at the same visit. Outside opening hours the price may be higher; we tell you on the phone.

Questions