Enamel chip
A corner or edge has flaked away but the tooth is otherwise sound. It may feel rough and look uneven, yet there is usually little sensitivity. Smoothing or a small bonded repair is generally all that is needed.
Wimpole Street opens 1 October 2026. For a dental emergency today, call South Kensington 020 7183 2362 (open 7 days) or St Paul's 020 7183 3709 (Mon–Fri).
South Kensington
Open seven days a week
St Paul's, City of London
Open Monday to Friday
Emergency dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Broken tooth repair: chips, fractures and split teeth
Teeth break in unglamorous ways: an olive stone, a kerb, a rugby ball, or simply a large old filling giving up. The urgency depends less on how it looks and more on how much tooth is missing and whether the nerve is exposed. This page walks through what to do in the first hour, how we decide between bonding, an onlay or a crown, and what each costs. Wimpole Street begins seeing patients on 1 October 2026; before that, fractures are repaired by the same team at South Kensington and St Paul’s.
Before you are seen
Right now: what to do
- 01
Rinse your mouth with warm water to clear any fragments, then find the broken piece if you can. Keep it in a small pot of milk or saliva; a clean fragment can sometimes be bonded straight back on.
- 02
If there is bleeding from the gum or lip, press a clean folded tissue or gauze firmly on it for ten to fifteen minutes without peeking.
- 03
Cover any sharp edge with sugar-free chewing gum or orthodontic wax from a pharmacy so it stops shredding your tongue or cheek.
- 04
Take a painkiller as directed on the pack if the tooth is sensitive to air or cold. Avoid very hot or cold drinks in the meantime.
- 05
Do not test the tooth by biting on it, and avoid chewing on that side altogether; a crack can extend further with a single hard bite.
- 06
If a whole tooth has come out rather than a piece, hold it by the crown only, rinse briefly in milk, and either reinsert it or keep it in milk; phone straight away as time matters.
Take any painkiller only as directed on the pack, never place aspirin against the gum, and ask a pharmacist if you already take other medicines.
Diagnosis
What's likely causing it
Fracture into dentine
The softer yellow layer beneath the enamel is exposed. Cold air and sweet foods sting because the dentine carries tiny channels to the nerve. This layer needs sealing promptly to prevent the nerve becoming irritated.
Fracture exposing the pulp
A pink or bleeding point in the centre of the broken surface means the nerve is open to the mouth. Pain is usually intense and the tooth will need pulp treatment, often root canal, before it can be restored.
Cusp fracture around an old filling
Large amalgam fillings leave thin walls of tooth that eventually give way, frequently while eating something soft. The filling may stay in place while a chunk of tooth falls off beside it.
Vertical crack or split root
A crack running down the length of the tooth, sometimes below the gum, is the hardest injury to treat. If the two halves move independently, the tooth is usually not restorable and extraction is discussed.
Trauma with displacement
A knock hard enough to move the tooth in its socket needs repositioning and often a flexible splint to neighbouring teeth, followed by monitoring of the nerve over several months.
At the clinic
How the emergency visit runs
- Step 1
Look and listen
How the break happened, what you felt and whether the tooth is loose tells us a lot before we pick up a mirror.
- Step 2
X-ray the tooth
A radiograph reveals how close the fracture runs to the nerve, whether the root is involved and if surrounding bone has been damaged.
- Step 3
Numb and protect
If dentine or pulp is exposed, local anaesthetic goes in and the surface is sealed so that air and cold stop reaching the nerve.
- Step 4
Restore or stabilise
Small chips are bonded there and then. Larger losses receive a strong temporary while a crown or onlay is made, or the tooth is prepared for root canal if the nerve is involved.
- Step 5
Agree the finish
You leave with a written plan covering the definitive repair, its cost and the timeline, plus advice on protecting the tooth in the meantime.
Fees
Emergency fees
A chip that needs a few minutes of bonding and a molar that needs root canal and a crown sit at opposite ends of the price list. The assessment tells us which end you are at, and nothing beyond that is charged until you have agreed to it in writing.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Emergency assessment New-patient rate (usual fee £95). | £30 |
Digital X-ray Per image, where needed. | £20 |
Smoothing or temporary cover Protects a chipped edge until definitive treatment. | from £95 |
Composite bonding repair Rebuilding a chipped corner or edge in tooth-coloured resin. | from £395 |
Composite filling For fractures around an existing filling. | from £185 |
Inlay or onlay Where a cusp has broken but the tooth core is sound. | from £695 |
Crown For extensive loss of structure or after root canal. | from £995 |
Root canal treatment If the nerve has been exposed by the fracture. | £695–£895 |
Extraction For teeth split below the gum line. | £250–£650 |
Indicative prices for Wimpole Street, identical to our South Kensington and St Paul's clinics. Whatever is recommended is set out in writing, with the cost, before any treatment starts.
Once you are home
Afterwards
- A bonded repair sets fully at once, but avoid biting directly into hard foods with that tooth for the first few days while you get used to it.
- Temporary crowns and dressings are designed to be replaced; treat them gently, avoid chewing gum and toffee, and phone us if one comes loose.
- Sensitivity to cold after a fracture repair often fades over one to two weeks as the nerve settles. If it worsens or starts to throb, let us know.
- Clean the repaired tooth normally. Floss can be slid out sideways rather than pulled up if a temporary is in place.
- If you grind at night or play contact sport, ask about a night guard or a custom mouthguard; both reduce the chance of a repeat.
- A tooth that has taken a hard knock is reviewed for signs of nerve damage over the following months even if the repair itself looks perfect.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
Sometimes, if the fragment is a single clean piece and has been kept moist. Re-attached fragments match the tooth perfectly but the bond is not always as durable as a fresh composite build-up, so we will advise which option suits your tooth.
Yes, though it is less urgent. Even a painless chip leaves a rough edge that traps plaque and a thinner wall of tooth that can break further. It is far easier and cheaper to reinforce a small fracture than to rebuild a large one.
It depends on how much of the tooth remains and where the tooth is. Front teeth with edge chips are usually bonded. Back teeth that have lost a cusp often need an onlay or crown because bonding alone would not withstand chewing forces.
If the tooth is sensitive, bleeding or loose, phone the same day. A painless chip should still be seen within a few days. Before Wimpole Street opens, ring South Kensington, which is open every day, or St Paul’s on weekdays.
No. Enamel and dentine do not regenerate, so a crack stays as it is or extends. Early treatment aims to bind the pieces together with a bonded restoration or crown before the crack reaches the root.
Also on this site
Other emergencies we treat
Marylebone, W1
Emergency care at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as the Marylebone diary opens. Anything that hurts today should go to South Kensington or St Paul's, where the same clinicians keep emergency slots each day.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
