What is the direct answer?
The quickest useful step for swollen gums is gentle plaque removal, but lasting improvement depends on treating the cause.
What does this question mean?
Swelling is enlargement of gingival tissue from inflammation or fluid in the tissues. Plaque, calculus, food impaction, a gum abscess, a damaged tooth, erupting teeth, and local irritation can produce similar swelling.
What can you do next?
Clean gently with a soft brush and between the teeth, rinse with warm salt water, and avoid squeezing the lump or placing aspirin on the gum. Use ordinary pain medicine only as directed on its label and only if it is suitable for you.
When should you seek dental care?
Contact a dentist promptly for a localized lump, pus, fever, worsening pain, facial swelling, or swelling around a tooth. Breathing or swallowing difficulty is an emergency.
What should you ask the dentist?
Ask whether the swelling starts in the gum or comes from the tooth root, whether an X-ray is needed, and whether treatment requires cleaning, drainage, a filling, root-canal treatment, or extraction.
Frequently asked questions
Can this problem have more than one cause?
Yes. A dental examination distinguishes surface irritation, gum disease, tooth infection, wear, and appliance-related causes.
What happens at an examination?
The dentist reviews your symptoms, inspects the teeth and gums, checks the bite when relevant, and uses X-rays or other tests when the findings require them.

