Dental Abscess or Swollen Cheek? Act Today — We Are Available
A swollen cheek, throbbing pressure, a bad taste in your mouth — that is frightening, and your instinct not to ignore it is exactly right. The good news: treated today, a dental abscess is very manageable. Call us on 603 31 96 48 — we take every swelling seriously and will see you quickly.
When to call the emergency services first
If you have fever, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, or the swelling is spreading towards your eye or throat: call the emergency number 112 (or 061 in the Balearic Islands) immediately — then call us.
Recognising the symptoms
An abscess is a build-up of pus caused by a bacterial infection. This is what it typically looks like:
Tooth abscess
Throbbing pain around one tooth, pain on biting, a tooth that suddenly feels "too tall", swelling of the gum or cheek — sometimes with fever and swollen lymph nodes. Often there were days or weeks of toothache beforehand.
Gum abscess
A localised, shiny, dome-shaped swelling on the gum, often with a visible pus point, tender to the touch. It can also be triggered by something lodged under the gumline, such as a food particle.
And harmless irritation?
Gums that bleed a little when brushing, or a mild soreness after biting something sharp, are usually not an abscess. But persistent bleeding, recurring swelling or a bump that keeps refilling belongs in our chair — not on a wait-and-see list.
Why waiting is dangerous
We say this calmly, not to frighten you — but you should know it: an abscess does not go away on its own.
- The pus sits in enclosed tissue. Even if the swelling softens or bursts and briefly feels better, the infection underneath carries on — because the cause is still there.
- From the jaw, the infection can spread into the deep tissue spaces of the face and neck. That is why fever, difficulty swallowing or a swelling moving towards the eye or throat are red-alert signs — see the warning box above.
- Every day of waiting tends to make the treatment bigger, not smaller. Caught early, an abscess is often resolved with a small drainage and treatment of the tooth. Caught late, it can mean surgery and a hospital stay.
What you can do until your appointment
Until we see you — ideally today — this genuinely helps:
Cool — never warm
A cold pack wrapped in a cloth against the cheek, in intervals of about ten minutes. Do not apply heat and avoid warm compresses: warmth accelerates the spread of the infection.
Never lance or squeeze it yourself
Opening an abscess is a sterile medical procedure. Doing it yourself pushes bacteria deeper into the tissue and can turn a local problem into a serious one.
Take it easy
Keep your head elevated, avoid exertion, alcohol and smoking. Over-the-counter painkillers can bridge the time until your appointment — follow the package leaflet or ask at the pharmacy, and tell us before treatment what you have taken. Products containing acetylsalicylic acid can increase the tendency to bleed.
How we solve it at SeaDent: relief today, cause treated
Two things have to happen with an abscess: the pressure must be relieved, and the cause must be treated. We do both — and we do not simply send you away with a prescription.
Drainage: the pressure goes, the pain follows
Under local anaesthetic we open and drain the abscess in a controlled, sterile way. Most patients feel dramatic relief within hours.
The dental laser
We use our dental laser for bleeding control and to reduce bacteria in the infected area — gentle, precise and kind to the surrounding tissue.
Treating the cause: root canal under the microscope
An abscess almost always has a cause — usually an infected tooth nerve. Wherever possible, we save the tooth with a root canal treatment under the dental microscope instead of extracting it.
Antibiotics: when they are right, not by default
Whether you need an antibiotic is a medical decision your dentist takes after examining you. An antibiotic alone does not solve an abscess — it can support the treatment, but it never replaces it.
In pain right now? Then let's talk.
Our emergency phone is answered 24/7 — and if we are with a patient, we call you back within 30 minutes. Centrally located at Avenida de Jaime III, with parking at Vía Roma and El Corte Inglés.
Frequently asked questions
You will find us at Avenida de Jaime III, 3 · 07012 Palma de Mallorca — with the Vía Roma and El Corte Inglés car parks just a few minutes' walk away.
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Medical review
Jan David Heiringhoff
Col·legiat No. 07001232 — Col·legi Oficial de Dentistes de Balears
Medically reviewed by Last reviewed: July 2026
Act today — call 603 31 96 48
An abscess is the one dental emergency where waiting truly costs you. Call now or send a WhatsApp message — our emergency phone is answered 24/7, and we call you back within 30 minutes.
All emergencies: our emergency dental service in Palma