My gum between my back two molars hurts really badly when I floss (which I do often), and there's a small abscess beside it... is there anything I can do to soothe the pain?

Go to a dentist and find out. Don’t get medical advice from the Internet.

Maybe something you ate cut it. Maybe you have herpes. Maybe you flossed to hard. Talk to a medical professional about it!

Try rinsing with salt water. If you smoke, stop until it heals. You could have a piece of meat stuck between the teeth. You really need someone to take a look. If you have a family dentist, go to him/her. Many will let you pay a bit at a time.

@bolwerk : She said that she didn’t have the money at the moment. Besides that, she said that she just wanted to know what to do to relieve the pain for a little while.
It isn’t like she said OMG MY GUM HURTS WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!?! She didn’t ask for a diagnosis.

Anyway, it might be a cavity, but if you have a family dentist, go to them. Otherwise, until them, try gargling with warm salt water and taking some ibuprofin.

Ambesol or Orajel from the pahrmacy for temporary relief; alos rinse with salt water. Then get to a dentist as soon as possible.

Alcohol swilled in the mouth will numb the pain temporarily, i also believe a small bit of clove oil or one or two bruised whole cloves sat on the gums can do the trick for a while. Its cheap and works. Hope this helps.

Here’s another vote for salt water. My dad’s a dentist, and suggested this to me when my wisdom teeth were coming in. Rinse your mouth with salt water, and it’ll help to prevent infection and also to help with the pain. Go see your dentist as soon as you can, of course, but the rinse should help in the meantime, especially if you add Orajel or another topical anaesthetic.

Aother vote for salt water. If you have tea tree oil, dab some on the sore- warning, does not taste good.

Do. Not. Fuck. With. Your. Teeth.

I had a sore bit of gums for a couple days and then within two days my jaw was locked in place on a weekend and I needed emergency surgery because my face was swelling and horrific pain was shooting through my jaw, face and scalp. And I’m a tough girl, I can handle my pain normally. This was unbearable.

Oral infections can spread rapidly, to seriously vital parts of your head. If you can’t afford a checkup, you may not be able to afford your face in working order.

Gargle with salt water, make a damn appointment.

Don’t put tea tree oil in your mouth. It contains a toxin that should NOT be digested.

Clove oil has been used for centuries and is still used in oral preparations. It contains a antiseptic and analgesic which also gives it its fragrance. It’s called eugenol.

Here, I just found an article from about.com
———————
—Clove oil contains eugenol, a natural pain killer and antibacterial. Mix 2 to 3 drops of pure clove oil with ¼ teaspoon olive oil. Saturate a cotton ball with the mixture and place the cotton ball beside the tooth.

If the toothache involves a molar at the back of your mouth, you can bite down gently on the cotton ball to keep it in place. Leave it there for as long as possible (but don’t go to sleep with it in your mouth.) Pain relief should begin quite rapidly.

Side effects
Undiluted clove oil inside the mouth can causing burning, tissue or nerve damage, and pain. In large doses, clove oil taken orally can cause vomiting, sore throat, seizure, difficulty breathing, kidney failure, or liver damage. Clove oil shouldn’t be applied to broken skin.

Children, pregnant or nursing women, and people with diabetes, kidney or liver disease or bleeding disorders should avoid taking clove oil.—

As you can see, you MUST dilute the clove oil with another oil. On it’s own, it’s a skin irritant and rather strong medicine.

Although I know that the dentist is expensive, if you believe you have an abcess, you must go to the dentist. Left untreated, an abcess can result in tooth loss (or, at the very least, a need for a root canal, which will be more expensive). Some dentists will allow patients to make payments in small monthly installments, so check with dentists in your area.

Until you can see the dentist, apply Orajel to the area. Also, rinse twice daily with a mixture of baking soda and salt dissolved in warm water. The baking soda acts as a disinfectant, and salt promotes healing. Whatever you do, don’t stop flossing, or else bacteria will congregate there, but you can floss gently.