Anyone know anything about oral issues?

I have one section of gum (directly behind my lower left incisor) that's very recently gotten a bit on the swollen side. I admit fully that I've slacked off on flossing (once a week rather than once a day). I'm going to get back on the flossing bandwagon since I know I need to.

No pain on touching, only mild pain/bleeding when I flossed it for the first time in 7-8 days. There were no problems with that tooth on my last checkup (8ish months ago). I'm going to dentist, but she doesn't have any openings until October, so I'd like to get this swelling down pronto. Any ideas?

you can try some mouth rinse. Call your dentist and see if they have a oral rinse...usually the otc ones are good...but there are a bit stronger ones that dentist have in their office. I got one from my dentist at last visit due to my deep gingival pockets. Also, i highly recommend the oral b toothbrush (ultrasonic tooth brush), it really helps a lot. If pain does start, however, you need to see the dentist asap. Swollen gums could be a lot of things. But try flossing and oral rinse for a few days and see if it helps. Now remember i'm not a dentist, so this is just my advice from personal experience.

LoL @ the disclaimer.

I can't really use mouthwash. I'm really sensitive to it, and I always end up with dry, itchy gums (weird, huh?). But I'll be brushing/flossing twice daily. After reading up on it, it seems this is fairly common. And it kinda came out of nowhere, so I'm almost wondering if I got a piece of nut/small cut/something on my gum at the BBQ this evening to cause a sudden inflammation.

popcorn kernel flakes always give me a puffy gum. Very painful. I usually have to use floss to get it out and then it is still sore. Maybe you got whatever it is out, but it is just really sore an swollen. Till you can get to a dentist, maybe try some baby oragel or baby teething tablets.