Sudden toothache
The most common reason for an unscheduled visit. Assessment identifies whether the nerve, a crack or the gum is responsible, and treatment usually starts at the same appointment.
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
Walk-in dentist near Oxford Circus: phone ahead, be seen sooner
If you search for a walk-in dentist you probably want two things: to be seen today, and not to have to register with a practice first. Both are possible with us. What we ask is one phone call before you set off, because a clinic that knows you are coming can hold a slot, prepare the room and warn you honestly if the wait will be long. Simply arriving at reception works too, but you may wait behind booked emergencies. Wimpole Street, six minutes from Bond Street station, opens on 1 October 2026; before then, South Kensington and St Paul’s take unscheduled patients on the same basis.
Before you are seen
Right now: what to do
- 01
Call before you travel. Wimpole Street is on 020 7183 0692 from October; today, South Kensington answers on 020 7183 2362 and St Paul’s on 020 7183 3709.
- 02
Bring a list of your medications and any allergies. It speeds up the registration form and lets us prescribe safely if needed.
- 03
Take a painkiller as directed on the pack before you set off; anaesthetic works more predictably when pain is already partly controlled.
- 04
Bring any broken piece of tooth, crown or denture in a small pot of milk or a sealed bag.
- 05
Eat something light if you can. Emergency treatment on an empty stomach makes some people feel faint.
- 06
Do not put aspirin on the gum or apply heat to a swollen face on the way in.
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
Broken or chipped tooth
Whether it happened at lunch or on the pitch, exposed dentine wants sealing promptly and a sharp edge wants smoothing before it shreds your tongue.
Lost crown or filling
Re-cementing an intact crown takes a few minutes and is ideal for a short unscheduled slot. Bring the crown.
Swelling or abscess
Drainage and starting root canal, or extraction, relieve pressure quickly. Antibiotics alone are not the answer.
Problems while visiting London
Marylebone sees many visitors and business travellers. No registration is required, and we can write to your home dentist afterwards.
Denture or orthodontic trouble
A broken denture, a wire digging into the cheek or a debonded bracket are all seen without an appointment, though repairs may need a lab.
At the clinic
How the emergency visit runs
- Step 1
Phone or arrive
Phoning first gets you a held slot. If you arrive unannounced, reception will tell you the realistic wait and offer the sister clinic if it is quicker.
- Step 2
Register
A short medical history form on a tablet. It takes about five minutes and is all the paperwork involved.
- Step 3
Assess
Examination and digital X-ray to find the cause. Local anaesthetic is offered as soon as the tooth is identified.
- Step 4
Treat what can be treated
Dressings, drainage, re-cementing, simple extractions and the first stage of root canal are typically done in an unscheduled slot. Longer procedures are booked with proper time.
- Step 5
Written plan
You leave with a plan, a price and the option of finishing treatment with us or with your own dentist.
Fees
Emergency fees
Walking in costs no more than booking ahead. The assessment fee covers examination and diagnosis; anything beyond that is agreed with you in writing before it starts.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Emergency assessment New-patient rate (usual fee £95). Same for booked or unscheduled visits. | £30 |
Digital X-ray Per image. | £20 |
Temporary dressing or re-cementation Typical unscheduled treatments. | from £95 |
Composite filling Where time allows on the day. | from £185 |
Root canal treatment First stage on the day; completion booked. | £695–£895 |
Extraction Simple to surgical. | £250–£650 |
Crown Booked as a follow-up. | from £995 |
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
- Follow the written instructions for the treatment you received and take pain relief as directed on the pack.
- If you were fitted in around booked patients and treatment was staged, keep the completion appointment; stabilised is not the same as finished.
- For temporary restorations, avoid sticky or hard foods until the definitive work is done.
- Contact whichever clinic saw you if pain or swelling increases rather than settles over the following 48 hours.
- Ask for a summary letter if you want your regular dentist to complete the treatment.
- If unscheduled visits are becoming a pattern, a routine examination and hygiene visit will usually break it.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
You can, and you will be seen, but unannounced arrivals are fitted around patients who have already booked, so the wait can be long. A phone call takes a minute and means a slot is held for you. We would rather be candid about this than promise instant treatment we cannot always deliver.
Neither. New patients are seen for emergencies with nothing more than a short medical history form completed on arrival.
Bond Street (Central, Jubilee and Elizabeth lines) is about a six-minute walk, Oxford Circus about seven and Regent’s Park about nine. The clinic is at 22 Wimpole Street, W1G 8GQ.
Not until 1 October 2026. Until then, South Kensington (open seven days) and St Paul’s (Monday to Friday) see unscheduled emergencies; both offer same-day emergency appointments where the diary allows.
Wherever possible, treatment starts at the same visit: numbing the tooth, placing a dressing, draining an abscess or re-cementing a crown. Procedures that need an hour or more are booked for a dedicated appointment so they are not rushed.
That is common in Marylebone. We stabilise the problem, give you a written summary and X-ray copies, and you can complete treatment with your own dentist or with us.
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
