For months, I have been living with something that may sound like a small health problem to some people: tooth pain. But when the pain does not go away, treatment is too expensive, and even anesthesia is difficult to find, a toothache becomes much more than a medical problem. For people like me in Gaza, it can affect daily life in a major way.
Two of my molars required root-canal treatment. The cost of treating one tooth was around 450 shekels, approximately $150. For many families in Gaza, this is a significant financial burden, especially during a humanitarian crisis and when more than one tooth needs treatment.
One of the hardest aspects to deal with has been the pain. During my dental treatment, anesthesia was unavailable or extremely expensive due to Israeli blockades on medicine and healthcare supplies. I often had to rely on painkillers just to get through the day, but they provided only temporary relief.
My experience made me realize that access to dental care should not be a luxury. For someone living with constant pain, proper treatment can determine whether they can continue a normal life. When tooth pain becomes severe, it can become difficult to concentrate, study, sleep, or carry out ordinary daily activities.
In Gaza, the dental sector is operating within a healthcare system severely affected by shortages of medicines, medical supplies, equipment, and functioning health facilities.
Dr. Diana Abu Shammala, a dentist from Gaza, described the situation in dental clinics as extremely difficult. According to her, there are severe shortages of essential dental materials, including anesthesia; materials for root-canal fillings, restoration, and impressions; drilling tools; and other supplies.
“When these supplies are available, their prices are astronomical,” Abu Shammala said. “The cost of treatment can become double or even more.” She explained that this places enormous pressure on both dentists and patients, making it increasingly difficult to provide and afford dental care.
Dentists have to find ways to continue providing treatment while maintaining professional standards. Abu Shammala explained that she sometimes has to stop working until the necessary materials become available because she does not want to compromise the quality of treatment.
For patients, however, waiting is not always possible. Severe pain can force people to seek treatment even when they cannot afford it. “Some patients turn to government health centers, where the options can be very limited,” Abu Shammala explained. “Sometimes, a tooth may be extracted even when another treatment could potentially save it.” Others may seek temporary pain relief without completing the full treatment because of the high cost.
Dr. Iman Adnan Ali, a dentist in Gaza with 14 years of experience, said that essential dental supplies such as nerve-filling materials, standard filling materials, orthodontic appliances, gloves, gauze, and adhesive are often unavailable or expired in Gaza.
According to Ali, the available anesthesia can be very expensive and, in some cases, ineffective. For patients in severe pain, treatment without adequate pain relief can make the experience worse.
The crisis is also affecting patients’ oral health, particularly pregnant women and people affected by malnutrition. Children are also vulnerable because displacement, food insecurity, and limited hygiene supplies make oral hygiene harder, Ali said.
Abu Shammala said that patients contacted her during periods of displacement asking what they could use when toothpaste was unavailable. She said she suggested certain herbs, warm water, and salt, with whatever toothbrush was available. These were emergency suggestions, not replacements for professional care.
Dentists in Gaza also carry a heavy emotional burden. Ali described the frustration of seeing patients suffer while being unable to provide the standard of care they would normally receive.
“It is extremely difficult to see a patient in pain and know that you cannot provide the treatment they need because the materials are unavailable or too expensive,” she explained. “Sometimes, we have to work with whatever is available, even when the quality is not what we would normally accept. We worry about using poor-quality or expired materials because we know they may affect the patient’s health.” For dentists, the shortage is therefore not only a professional challenge but also an emotional one, as they struggle to help patients under extremely difficult circumstances.
The wider healthcare system in Gaza continues to face serious shortages. In September 2025, the United Nations reported that only 30% of health service delivery points in Gaza were partially functional. It also reported that 54% of essential medicines and 66% of medical consumables were at zero-stock levels, according to local health authorities.
These figures show that dental shortages are part of a much larger healthcare crisis. The consequences are experienced one patient at a time: a child with a painful tooth, a pregnant woman with deteriorating oral health, or an adult unable to afford treatment.
My own experience has shown me how quickly dental pain can take over everyday life. Living with constant pain while waiting for treatment is exhausting. Having to think about whether treatment is affordable, whether anesthesia is available, and whether the necessary materials exist adds another layer of stress.
Both Abu Shammala and Ali emphasized the importance of allowing essential dental and medical supplies to reach Gaza. Ali called for authorities and international organizations to facilitate the entry of these supplies so dentists can provide appropriate care. Abu Shammala similarly emphasized the importance of giving patients proper choices. “People in Gaza deserve complete treatment. They deserve to have different appropriate treatment options and to choose what is best for them rather than being limited to whatever treatment happens to be available,” she said.
During a humanitarian crisis, dental care may seem less urgent, but tooth pain cannot be ignored. Pain does not wait for a crisis to end. It does not disappear because hospitals are overwhelmed or because supplies are scarce.
Editorial Team:
Sahar Fatima, Lead Editor
Carolyn Copeland, Top Editor
Stephanie Harris, Copy Edito
Esraa Abo Qamar is a writer and English Literature student from Gaza
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