Dental emergency in Erbil: what to do right now

Dental problems rarely choose a convenient time. This guide tells you what you can do at home, when to call a dentist the same day, and when you should go straight to a hospital emergency department in Erbil.

Go to the emergency department now if…

• swelling of the face is spreading towards the eye or neck,
• you have difficulty swallowing or breathing,
• you have a high fever with a dental swelling,
• there is heavy bleeding that does not stop with 20 minutes of firm pressure,
• you had an accident with a possible jaw injury.

These situations can be serious and should not wait for a clinic appointment.

Severe toothache

Rinse with warm water, gently floss around the tooth to remove trapped food and avoid very hot or cold drinks. Do not put painkiller tablets on the gum — they burn it. Pain that wakes you at night or lingers after cold or heat often means the nerve is inflamed; book a visit soon. Our tooth decay explorer shows why.

A knocked-out adult tooth

1. Pick it up by the crown (the white part), not the root.
2. If it is dirty, rinse briefly with milk or saline — do not scrub it.
3. If you can, put it back into the socket and bite gently on a cloth.
4. If not, keep it in milk or in the cheek and see a dentist immediately — ideally within an hour.

Baby teeth that are knocked out are not put back; see the dentist to check the area.

A chipped or broken tooth

Keep any broken piece in milk or water, rinse your mouth and use a cold compress on the cheek. Many chips can be repaired with tooth-coloured filling material, sometimes with the original piece.

Swelling around a wisdom tooth

Rinse gently with warm salt water and keep the area clean. Difficulty opening the mouth or a bad taste usually means infection under the gum. Read more about wisdom teeth.

Bleeding after an extraction

Bite firmly on clean gauze for 20–30 minutes without checking. Avoid rinsing, smoking, straws and hot drinks on the first day. If bleeding continues, call the clinic.

A lost filling or crown

Keep the crown, avoid chewing on that side and book a visit. Do not glue it yourself with household glue.

For an urgent problem that is not life-threatening, message DR. ELAF Dental Clinic on WhatsApp or send a booking request and describe what happened — the clinic will reply as soon as possible.