Urgent care
Emergency Dentist
Broken a tooth, in pain, or swollen? Call us during opening hours and we'll tell you what to do next — assessment is £54 including two small X-rays.
Call us first, and we’ll tell you what to do
If you have a dental emergency during opening hours, call 020 8821 2830. We reserve emergency slots each day for trauma, facial swelling and bleeding after treatment. Same-day appointments are subject to availability, so please call as early as you can.
Outside our working hours, contact NHS 111. If you have facial swelling that is spreading, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or uncontrolled bleeding, treat it as a medical emergency and go to A&E or call 999.
Why not to wait it out
A broken tooth leaves the inside of the tooth exposed to bacteria. Even with no pain at all, decay can set in quickly — sensitivity first, then infection reaching the nerve, then an abscess, and eventually the tooth itself.
What would have been a simple bonding repair can become a root canal, or an extraction. Early treatment is almost always simpler, more comfortable and cheaper.
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What to do right now
Is this an emergency?
Not everything needs you to drop what you’re doing. Here’s the honest test.
Treat it as urgent — call us today, or NHS 111 if we’re closed:
- A tooth has been completely knocked out
- Pain that paracetamol or ibuprofen isn’t controlling
- Bleeding that won’t stop
- Visible pink tissue inside the tooth, meaning the nerve may be exposed
- Swelling around the jaw or face
It can usually wait for the next appointment:
- A small chip with no pain
- A crack that’s stable and not sensitive
- A lost crown or filling where the tooth itself is intact
When in doubt, ring us. We would far rather talk it through than have you sitting at home in pain, or ignoring something that needs seeing.
If a tooth has been knocked out
Time matters more here than anything else on this page. A knocked-out adult tooth has the best chance if it’s back in place within 30 minutes, and definitely within the hour.
- Pick it up by the crown — the white part — never the root. Don’t scrub it.
- If it’s clean, push it gently back into the socket and hold it there by biting softly on a clean cloth.
- If you can’t reinsert it, put it in whole milk — not water. Milk preserves the root cells far better. Tucking it between cheek and gum also works.
- Call us immediately, or go straight to an emergency dental service.
If it’s a baby tooth, do not put it back in. That can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. Call us or NHS 111 for advice instead.
If part of a tooth has broken off
Find the fragment if you can and keep it in milk — it can sometimes be bonded back on. If it’s lost, that’s fine; there are other ways to restore the tooth.
Rinse gently with warm water. If a sharp edge is catching your tongue or cheek, cover it with dental wax or sugar-free gum to protect the soft tissue — that’s protection, not a repair.
Take over-the-counter pain relief if you need it and call us as soon as you can.
Managing at home until you're seen
- Pain relief — paracetamol and/or ibuprofen, following the packet and not exceeding the dose
- Sharp edges — dental wax from a pharmacy, or sugar-free gum
- Temporary filling kits — pharmacies stock them; useful for covering a broken back tooth, but a short-term measure only
- Eat carefully — soft food, and avoid biting on that side
None of these fix anything. They buy you comfort until we can see you.
What it costs
A private emergency assessment is £54 and includes two small X-rays. If you’ve had a course of treatment with us in the past two months, you’re entitled to NHS care. Whatever the treatment turns out to be, you’ll have the cost in writing before we start — see the full fee guide.
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