Why do I get blisters on my gums?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Usually one of two things: a dental abscess draining through the gum, or a harmless mucocele - and telling them apart matters. The abscess brings pain (moderate to severe, throbbing), swelling, and sometimes a bad taste from drainage; some drain quietly while the infection keeps working, and a spreading dental infection can reach the bone and beyond. The mucocele is a soft, painless fluid sac from a blocked salivary gland that often resolves alone. Pymander's escalation routing is built and tested specifically for this class of decision; see the safety architecture working paper.
What to do
- Read the bump: painful, swollen, bad-tasting = abscess until proven otherwise; soft, painless, clear = likely mucocele.
- Never pop it: squeezing spreads infection and hides the diagnosis.
- Abscess = dentist this week: the source tooth needs treatment - antibiotics alone do not cure it.
- Get seen urgently if: facial swelling, fever, or trouble swallowing or breathing - that is an ER picture, not a dental one.
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