Front tooth (incisor or canine)
Usually a single straight canal. Sixty minutes or so, normally completed in one visit.
From £695
Restorative dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Root canal treatment in Marylebone: removing the infection and keeping the tooth
When decay, a crack or a knock reaches the soft tissue at the centre of a tooth, the nerve inflames and eventually dies, and bacteria colonise the hollow canals in the roots. Root canal treatment cleans those canals out, disinfects them and seals them so the tooth can stay in the mouth as a functioning, if nerveless, unit. It is the alternative to extraction, and in most cases it is the cheaper and kinder one once you count the cost of replacing a lost tooth. At Wimpole Street a front tooth is £695, a premolar £795 and a molar £895, carried out under local anaesthetic with magnification and a rubber dam, and back teeth are crowned afterwards because a root-treated molar left uncrowned tends to split.
- From £695 (front tooth)
- Molar £895
- 1–2 visits of 60–90 minutes
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- A tooth that aches spontaneously, throbs at night or hurts for a long time after hot or cold.
- A dead tooth found on a radiograph, sometimes with no pain at all, or one that has darkened after an old injury.
- An abscess or gumboil next to a tooth, once any acute swelling has been brought under control.
- A deep cavity or crack that has reached the nerve, where enough tooth remains to restore afterwards.
- A tooth needed as an anchor for a bridge or to keep a denture stable.
- Anyone who would rather keep their own tooth than move straight to extraction and replacement.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- A tooth fractured vertically through the root, which cannot be sealed and must be removed.
- So little tooth remaining above the gum that a crown cannot be retained even with a post.
- Severe gum disease that has loosened the tooth; treating the nerve will not save it.
- Canals that are completely blocked by calcification or old materials where access is impossible; a specialist opinion may still be worthwhile.
- A patient who cannot commit to the crown afterwards on a back tooth; without it the treatment is likely to be wasted.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Diagnosis
A radiograph, cold and tapping tests and a careful history establish which tooth is the culprit and whether the nerve is inflamed or dead. If the tooth is not saveable we say so now, before any work starts.
- 02
Anaesthetic and isolation
The tooth is numbed thoroughly; an inflamed nerve can be stubborn and we allow time for the anaesthetic to work. A thin rubber sheet isolates the tooth to keep saliva out and instruments and irrigants in.
- 03
Access and cleaning
A small opening is made through the top of the tooth into the pulp chamber. Each canal is located under magnification, its length measured electronically and confirmed on a radiograph, then cleaned and shaped with fine flexible files.
- 04
Disinfection
The canals are flushed repeatedly with antibacterial solutions to dissolve debris and kill the bacteria the files cannot reach. In infected cases an antibacterial dressing may be left inside for a week or two before the final stage.
- 05
Filling the canals
Once clean and dry, each canal is filled with a rubber-like material and sealer and the opening in the tooth is closed with a bonded filling. A final radiograph confirms the fill reaches the tip of each root.
- 06
Restoring the tooth
Front teeth often manage with the bonded filling. Molars and premolars are booked for a crown within a few weeks, because without one the hollowed tooth is at real risk of fracture.
Choices
Options & materials
Premolar
One or two canals, sometimes with a tricky curve. Usually one visit, occasionally two.
From £795
Molar
Three or four canals in complex anatomy. Ninety minutes or more, and two visits when infection is heavy.
From £895
Retreatment
Removing an old root filling that has failed and treating the canals again. More time-consuming and with somewhat lower odds of success than a first treatment.
From £1,200
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Root canal, front tooth Includes working radiographs and the sealing filling. | From £695 |
Root canal, premolar One or two canals. | From £795 |
Root canal, molar Three or four canals; may need two visits. | From £895 |
Root canal retreatment Removal of an old root filling and re-treatment. | From £1,200 |
Crown afterwards Recommended on all molars and premolars. | From £995 |
Emergency assessment New-patient rate (usual fee £95); radiographs £20 each. | £30 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
The immediate result is relief. Once the inflamed or infected tissue is removed the throbbing stops, usually within a day or two, and the tooth can be used normally once its final restoration is in place. Externally nothing changes, though a front tooth may darken slightly over the years and can be whitened internally.
Success rates for first-time treatment on a tooth that has been properly sealed and crowned are high, in the region of eighty-five to ninety-five per cent at five to ten years in published studies. That still means some treated teeth develop persistent infection and need retreatment, surgery at the root tip or, eventually, extraction. Not every tooth can be saved, and we give you our honest estimate of the odds for yours before you decide.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Avoid chewing on the tooth until the numbness has worn off and, for a back tooth, until the crown is fitted.
- Expect tenderness on biting for a few days; ibuprofen or paracetamol as directed usually covers it.
- Keep the temporary filling intact; if it comes out or feels high, ring us rather than waiting.
- Book the crown appointment before you leave if a back tooth has been treated.
- Brush and floss the tooth normally; it no longer has a nerve but it can still decay.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Not every tooth can be saved. Hidden cracks, blocked canals or extensive infection can defeat even careful treatment, and an extraction may still be needed.
- Persistent or recurrent infection in a minority of cases, requiring retreatment or a small surgical procedure at the root tip.
- Fracture. A root-treated tooth is more brittle. Molars left without a crown fail at a much higher rate than crowned ones.
- Instrument separation. Very rarely a fine file breaks in a curved canal. It can often be bypassed or left sealed without harm, but we will tell you if it happens.
- Post-operative pain, usually mild and short-lived, occasionally a flare-up of a few days with swelling that needs additional treatment.
- Discolouration of a treated front tooth over time, which is cosmetic and can be addressed.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
The procedure is done under local anaesthetic and most people find it no more uncomfortable than a large filling, just longer. The pain people associate with it is usually the toothache before treatment, which the treatment resolves.
High, though not universal. First-time treatments that are well sealed and crowned succeed in the region of eighty-five to ninety-five per cent of cases over five to ten years. Some teeth need retreatment and a few are eventually lost.
Because the tooth has been hollowed out and no longer has the nerve to warn you when you overload it. Root-treated molars without a crown fracture at a much higher rate; the crown is what makes the investment last.
If the tooth can be saved with reasonable odds, keeping it is usually cheaper and better for the neighbouring teeth once you factor in the cost of an implant or bridge. Where the odds are poor we will say so and discuss replacement instead.
Front teeth and most premolars are completed in one. Molars and heavily infected teeth may need two, a week or two apart, with a dressing in between.
Yes. Emergency relief and treatment are available now at South Kensington and St Paul’s at the same fee, with the crown or review in Marylebone after 1 October 2026.
Keep reading
Related treatments and guides
Marylebone, W1
Root canal treatment at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
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
