The best approach is somewhere in between for most people, erring on the side of when the issue first starts. If you notice that your gums hurt, you should keep an eye on it as it could be a lot of different things causing the discomfort. However, if the pain doesn't stop, you should go get seen.
Causes of Gum Pain
If you have gum disease and feel pain in your gums, then you definitely need to be treated by your dentist. The worse gum disease gets, the worse its effects get, too. However, gum disease is typically painless in its early stages, so if you are to the point of feeling pain, you definitely need to go in and get seen.
Drinking a beverage that was too hot can cause your gums to feel sore. They often throb after this type of a tissue injury. In order to speed up healing, rinse your mouth 3-4 times each day with a lukewarm saline solution, as the salt helps to speed up healing. If you have blisters from the drink, have your dentist take a look before you do anything else.
Eating a food that pushed into your gums is a common cause for gum pain. If the gum is just slightly sore, you can easily wait a day or two and will likely be fine. If you were bleeding or the swelling gets hot, call your dentist and get seen.
If your gums are hurting and you aren't sure if you should be seen or not, contact our office. They will listen to what's going on and give you their best advice.