Hours: Sat–Wed 10–6 · Thu 10–4 · Fri closed
EmergencySwollen face or gum, or an abscess? Call the clinic.
Swelling in the gum or cheek is often an abscess: a pocket of pus from an infection around a tooth or in the gum, and it does not go away on its own. Call the clinic today, and if the swelling has reached your eye or neck, or it has become hard to swallow or breathe, that is a hospital emergency, not an appointment.
Call today if you have
- Swelling in the gum or the cheek.
- A bump on the gum that leaks pus, or a salty taste in your mouth.
- A throbbing pain.
- A broken tooth with strong pain.
If the swelling is in a child's cheek: call now, and if we're closed, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. More on toothache in children.
This doesn't wait until morning
Go to the nearest hospital emergency department now, not an appointment:
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- Swelling that has reached the eye or the neck.
And let us know afterwards.
Call now:
- Swelling under the jaw.
- Fever with the pain.
- Difficulty opening your mouth.
If the clinic is closed or you can't reach us: go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Don't wait.
If you are not in Jordan, go to the nearest emergency service where you are.
Until you arrive
- 1
Rinse with warm salt waterHalf a teaspoon in a glass of water, and repeat every few hours. It cleans and soothes the gum. For a child: only if they can spit it out.
- 2
A cold compress on the outside of the cheekFifteen minutes on, fifteen off. Cold reduces swelling and pain.
- 3
An ordinary painkiller from the pharmacy, as its leaflet saysAnd ask the pharmacist first if you have a chronic condition, take blood thinners, or are pregnant. For a child: a children's painkiller, with the dose worked out by the pharmacist, never an adult tablet, not even half of one.
Don't do this
- Don't poke or pop an abscess. It gets infected and spreads.
- No heat on the cheek from outside. A hot compress increases swelling.
- No painkiller tablet on the tooth or gum. It burns the tissue and makes the pain worse.
- No antibiotics on your own. The doctor decides.
- Don't wait for it to go away on its own. Even if the pain eases, the cause is still there and needs treatment.
Diabetes, blood pressure, or blood thinners?
Mention it when you call, and tell us which medicines you take. Do not stop any medicine on your own. There is a separate page on dental care with long-term conditions.
Questions people ask
Can I come without an appointment?
Call and we will find you the earliest slot, and tell you what to do until you arrive.
Will antibiotics clear an abscess?
The doctor decides on antibiotics, and on their own they don't treat the cause: an abscess comes from a tooth or the gum, and that cause is what needs treatment.
Pages that go with this one
These are general first-aid notes, not a diagnosis. If your situation is different or you have a chronic condition, calling is faster and safer than reading.