For a gum infection, you can start managing pain and swelling at home with ibuprofen, salt water rinses, and topical numbing gels. But most gum infections ultimately need professional treatment, whether that’s a prescription antibiotic, a deep cleaning, or both. What you take depends on how serious the infection is and whether it’s localized inflammation or a full abscess.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
Ibuprofen is the best first choice for gum infection pain because it reduces both pain and inflammation. For mild pain, 400 mg every six hours works well. For moderate to severe pain, you can take up to 800 mg every six hours, with a maximum of 3,200 mg per day. Take it with food to protect your stomach.
If you can’t take ibuprofen (due to stomach issues, blood thinners, or kidney problems), acetaminophen is the alternative. It handles pain but won’t reduce the swelling. For moderate dental pain, 500 to 650 mg every six hours or 1,000 mg every eight hours is typical. Keep your total from all sources under 3,000 mg per day.
Naproxen is another option that lasts longer per dose. You can take 550 mg every 12 hours (up to 1,100 mg per day), which means fewer pills throughout the day. For the strongest over-the-counter relief, some dentists recommend combining ibuprofen with acetaminophen, since they work through different pathways and can be taken together safely.
Topical Numbing Gels
Benzocaine gels (sold as Orajel and similar brands) can numb a painful spot on your gums within minutes. Apply a small amount directly to the affected area with a clean finger or cotton swab. These are meant for short-term relief while you arrange dental care, not for ongoing use over days or weeks. People with breathing conditions like asthma should use benzocaine cautiously, as it carries a small risk of a blood oxygen condition called methemoglobinemia.
Salt Water and Hydrogen Peroxide Rinses
A warm salt water rinse is one of the simplest things you can do for an infected gum. Mix half a teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water, swish it around your mouth for 30 seconds, and spit. You can repeat this several times a day. Salt water draws fluid out of swollen tissue, temporarily reduces bacteria, and helps keep the area clean between meals.
Hydrogen peroxide is a stronger antimicrobial option. Mix equal parts 3% hydrogen peroxide (the brown bottle from the drugstore) and water to create a 1.5% solution. Swish for 30 to 60 seconds and spit. Don’t swallow it, and don’t exceed 90 seconds of contact time. This rinse can help control bacteria around the infection, but it’s harsher than salt water, so limit it to once or twice a day.
Prescription Antibiotics
If your gum infection involves an abscess, significant swelling, or signs of spreading, your dentist will likely prescribe an antibiotic. Amoxicillin and penicillin V are the standard first choices. A typical course runs at least a full week, and finishing every dose matters even if symptoms improve after a few days. Stopping early lets surviving bacteria regroup and potentially develop resistance.
For people allergic to penicillin, dentists commonly prescribe alternatives like clindamycin or metronidazole. Metronidazole is also sometimes added alongside amoxicillin for more aggressive infections, particularly those involving the deeper gum tissue around teeth.
One important thing to understand: antibiotics alone don’t cure most gum infections. They control the bacteria temporarily, but the underlying source of infection, whether it’s trapped debris beneath the gumline or a dying tooth, still needs to be physically treated.
Prescription Mouth Rinse
Your dentist may prescribe chlorhexidine, a prescription-strength antimicrobial mouth rinse. The standard instructions are 15 milliliters swished for 30 seconds, twice a day. Use it full strength without diluting it. Chlorhexidine is more effective at killing oral bacteria than anything available over the counter, but it can stain teeth brown with prolonged use, so it’s typically prescribed for a limited period. The American Dental Association notes that chlorhexidine chips placed directly into gum pockets are also used as an add-on to deep cleaning, though the evidence for that approach is considered modest.
Professional Treatments
The clinical standard for treating gum disease that has progressed beyond simple gingivitis is a procedure called scaling and root planing. This is a deep cleaning performed under local anesthesia where your dentist or hygienist removes bacterial buildup and hardened tarite from below the gumline, then smooths the root surfaces so gums can reattach. The American Dental Association recommends this as the initial nonsurgical treatment for periodontitis, noting moderate benefit with minimal risk.
In some cases, your dentist may also prescribe a low-dose antibiotic taken daily over a longer period to help control inflammation as the gums heal. This approach uses a lower dose than what you’d take for an acute infection, focusing on the anti-inflammatory effect rather than bacteria-killing power. For infections that don’t respond to deep cleaning, surgical options like flap surgery or bone grafting become the next step.
If the infection stems from an abscess at the root of a tooth, treatment usually involves draining the abscess and either performing a root canal or extracting the tooth. No amount of rinsing or antibiotics will resolve an abscess permanently without addressing the source.
Signs You Need Emergency Care
Most gum infections are uncomfortable but manageable while you wait for a dental appointment. Some situations can’t wait. Go to an emergency room if you have a fever combined with facial swelling, especially if the swelling is spreading toward your eye, neck, or under your jaw. Difficulty breathing or swallowing is the most urgent red flag. These symptoms indicate the infection has spread beyond the tooth and gums into deeper tissue, which can become life-threatening. If you can’t reach your dentist and you have a fever with visible facial swelling, don’t wait it out.