If you need an emergency dentist in London, you have 2 routes. You can call NHS 111, which can book you an urgent NHS appointment, including in the evening and at weekends. Or you can phone a practice that offers same-day emergency appointments. Urgent NHS care costs £27.90. A private emergency appointment in London usually costs £60-£100, and any treatment is extra.
You do not need to be registered with a dentist for either route.
When to call 999 or go to A&E
A dental problem can become a medical emergency. Call 999 or go to A&E if you have:
- swelling in your mouth, face or neck and you find it hard to breathe, swallow or speak
- swelling that is closing one or both eyes
- heavy bleeding from your mouth that will not stop
- a serious injury to your face or jaw
- a head or face injury and you were knocked out, are being sick or have double vision
Do not wait for a dentist if any of these apply. A&E cannot usually do dental treatment, such as a filling. But it can treat a spreading infection, a bleed or a broken jaw.
How quickly you should be seen
The NHS sets a time limit for urgent dental care, based on your symptoms:
- A knocked-out adult tooth: within 1 hour, or as soon as possible.
- Other urgent problems: within 24 hours or within 7 days. The NHS 111 adviser decides which, from what you tell them.
Severe pain that painkillers do not control, a dental abscess (a painful swelling caused by infection) and bleeding after a tooth was taken out all need to be seen quickly. A lost filling or crown that does not hurt can usually wait a few days for a normal appointment.
For what to do while you wait, such as how to keep a knocked-out tooth or stop a bleed, see our guide on what to do in a dental emergency.
Where to get emergency dental care in London
NHS urgent care through NHS 111
Call 111 or use NHS 111 online. An adviser asks about your symptoms. If you need to see a dentist, they book you into a practice or an urgent dental service near you. This works out of hours too.
You do not need to be a patient at the practice. NHS dental practices do not register patients the way GPs do, so anyone can be seen. We explain this in can I see a dentist without being registered?
Phone NHS practices yourself
Since April 2026, every practice with a general NHS contract must keep part of its NHS work for urgent patients. The minimum is 8.2% of the contract’s value. Patients who walk in, patients sent by 111 and patients the practice has never seen all count towards it.
This matters in London, where many practices are not taking new NHS patients for check-ups. A practice that says “no new NHS patients” may still have an urgent NHS slot. Ask for it directly: “Do you have an urgent NHS appointment today?” We cover the 2026 changes in our guide to the NHS dental contract changes.
Private emergency appointments
Many London practices keep same-day emergency slots for private patients, and some open in the evening and at weekends. This is often the fastest option, and you pay the private price. Always phone first. A practice may list emergency care but have no slot free today.
Find a practice near you
Our emergency dentist London directory lists practices that offer emergency care on their own websites, with phone numbers and opening hours. You can also search by area: North, South, East or West London.
What an emergency dentist costs in London
NHS urgent care costs £27.90 in 2026/27. That is the Band 1 charge (the lowest NHS price level). It covers the treatment you need on the day, such as draining an abscess, a temporary filling or taking out a tooth. It is free if you qualify for free NHS dental care.
Urgent care deals with the immediate problem. If you then need a permanent filling, a root canal or a crown, that is a new course of treatment with its own NHS charge. You can have that work at a different practice.
A private emergency appointment usually costs £60-£100. We looked at 419 London practices that publish an emergency price. Half of them start between £60 and £100, and the median is £80. This price usually covers the examination and pain relief. Treatment costs extra. For example, the median “from” price for a simple private extraction in London is £180, and for root canal treatment it is £450. Evening and weekend appointments often cost more.
Ask for the price before treatment starts, and ask for a written quote for anything more than pain relief. Our dental price list has private prices for every treatment we track.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an emergency dentist on the NHS?
Yes. Call NHS 111 and they can book you an urgent NHS appointment, including out of hours. You do not need to be registered with a dentist. It costs £27.90, or nothing if you qualify for free NHS dental care.
How much does an emergency dentist cost in London?
Urgent NHS care costs £27.90. A private emergency appointment usually costs £60-£100 for the examination and pain relief, and treatment is extra.
Can I see an emergency dentist without being registered?
Yes. There is no registration with NHS dentists. NHS 111, NHS practices and private practices will all see you as a new patient.
Can I go to A&E with toothache?
Only if you have trouble breathing, swallowing or speaking, swelling that is closing your eye, heavy bleeding that will not stop, or a serious injury to your face. For toothache or a lost filling, call a dentist or NHS 111. A&E cannot usually do dental treatment.
Should I see my GP about a dental problem?
No. The NHS advises against going to a GP surgery for a dental problem, because GPs cannot give dental treatment. Call a dentist or NHS 111.
NHS charges are correct for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Private prices are medians of the lowest price each practice publishes on its own website, and they change as practices update their fees.