The Dental Centre at UCL

Supporting UCL students for over 60 years
The Dental Centre was founded by UCL over 60 years’ ago and has been providing quality dental care to UCL students ever since.
We only provide NHS care for UCL students due to our long term partnership with UCL. We are located at 139 Euston Road, a 10-minute walk from UCL. We understand it can be challenging moving to a new place and a new life, did you know your oral health contributes to your overall wellbeing? We are here to help you whilst you are here as little or as often as you need us.

How We Look After UCL Students

English not your first language? Get in touch here and one of our team members will contact you to discuss your requirements during a time that suits you.

“The Dental Centre is the loveliest dentist – I couldn’t recommend it enough. The receptionist staff are so friendly and helpful, and the dentist and hygienist have been the most professional and high-quality I’ve ever experienced. I actively look forward to my visits here!”

Rose Gabbertas

How Else Can The Dental Centre Help Me?

On top of preventative treatments such as check ups and hygiene, we have other treatments that students often enquire about.

Teeth Straightening

We use Invisalign, almost invisible braces to provide discrete orthodontics so you can have straight teeth with no one else knowing you’re wearing braces.

Teeth Whitening

One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to brighten your smile. 

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you and have a great start to the year from us.

What Should I Do in An Emergency?

If you have a severe dental emergency which require immediate care them please visit your local accident and emergency at the nearest hospital to you, which if you live in Euston is UCLH, you can visit their website here.

If you emergency is not life threatening, please call the practice on 0207 679 7186.

Useful Information

Gingivitis - prevent it while you're young

Gingivitis is commonly caused by poor oral hygiene and is simply an inflammation of the gums around your teeth. If left untreated it can progress to the more serious periodontitis, which affects the underlying bone around your tooth. This can result in loss of bone, tooth mobility and ultimately tooth loss. Take action today to protect your long-term dental health.

Signs and symptoms of gingivitis

Keep your eyes peeled for these symptoms:

  1. Tenderness, swelling, redness, pain and bleeding of the gums
  2. Halitosis or bad breath
  3. Gums beginning to shrink and losing their healthy pink colour and shape. They can begin to recede away from the teeth and take on a red and puffy nature.

Dentists usually diagnose gingivitis based on symptoms and an examination of your teeth, gums, mouth and tongue. Your dentist will look for plaque and tartar build-up on your teeth and check your gums for redness, puffiness and bleeding.

Treatment of Gingivitis

The primary way to treat gingivitis is to remove the source of the infection and this can start at home/in your student accommodation. Brushing your teeth regularly with a fluoride toothpaste will help to prevent plaque build-up, which is where the unhealthy bacteria reside. Flossing between your teeth will also clean those difficult to reach areas.

The most important thing to do is to visit your dentist. In conjunction with your dental hygienist they can provide a series of deep cleaning treatments, which can clean under the gum and in areas that are difficult to reach at home. This helps nip the problem in the bud and prevent it re-occurring when you’re busy at University.

In severe cases gingivitis can be also treated with antibiotics, which will help to boost your immune system and fight the bacterial infection. This might be an important course of action when you’re at a crucial stage of your studies. You’ll want to feel on top form when taking exams for example.

Please remember that good daily dental habits will help keep you healthy. Cleaning your teeth adequately at home will help to keep plaque to a minimum. Doing this means the bacteria have nowhere to live and so your teeth, gums and bone of your jaw remain healthy.

Wait before brushing your teeth

Are you a fan of drinking carbonated drinks and fruit juice? We recommend that you wait a couple of hours before brushing your teeth. These drinks contain acid and this acid can have a softening effect on the enamel of your teeth. The natural saliva in your mouth will neutralise this acidity and help to restore the natural balance in your mouth. This process happens slowly and if you drink these drinks in rapid succession your teeth don’t have time to fully recover.

Waiting a couple of hours before you brush your teeth gives you time to recover. Brushing then removes any sticky sugar which may still be attached to your teeth. It’s important to remove this sticky layer as it is upon this that the harmful bacteria which cause tooth decay will feed upon.

Drink plenty of water

breakingmuscle.com shares these top 10 tips highlighting why you should drink plenty of water:

  1. If you don’t drink water, you will die. It’s that important. Depending on our environment, we can live only a few days without water – maybe a week. We can live much longer without food. For most of us, we should prioritise the consumption of water far more than we currently do
  2. Prevent cancer. Yes, that’s right – various research says staying hydrated can reduce risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50%, and possibly reduce breast cancer risk as well
  3. Be less cranky. Research shows dehydration can affect your mood and make you grumpy and confused. Think clearer and be happier by drinking more water
  4. Improve performance. Proper hydration contributes to increased athletic performance. Water composes 75% of our muscle tissue. Dehydration can lead to weakness, fatigue, dizziness and electrolyte imbalance
  5. Have less joint pain. Drinking water can reduce pain in your joints by keeping the cartilage soft and hydrated. This is actually how glucosamine helps reduce joint pain, by aiding in cartilage’s absorption of water
  6. Flush out waste and bacteria. Our digestive system needs water to function properly. Waste is flushed out in the form of urine and sweat. If we don’t drink water, we don’t flush out waste and it collects in our body causing a myriad of problems. Also combined with fibre, water can cure constipation
  7. Prevent headaches. Sometimes headaches can be caused by dehydration, so drinking water can prevent or alleviate that nasty head pain. Next time your head hurts, try drinking water
  8. Make your skin glow.Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Regular and plentiful water consumption can improve the colour and texture of your skin by keeping it building new cells properly. Drinking water also helps the skin do it’s job of regulating the body’s temperature through sweating
  9. Feed your body.Water is essential for the proper circulation of nutrients in the body. Water serves at the body’s transportation system and when we are dehydrated things just can’t get around as well.

It’s also good to remember that when you drink plenty of water it keeps you hydrated, which means that the saliva in your mouth flows more freely. If you become dehydrated your mouth has a tendency to dry out and the saliva can’t neutralise any of the acids which naturally accumulate, especially during eating or drinking fizzy drinks.

There has been research to show that there is a connection between the amount of exercise you undertake and your academic success. Keep in mind that exercising more vigorously will also mean you have a tendency to dehydrate. If you want to achieve academic success and exercise, you must also remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

How much water should you drink?

Authority nutrition recommend that you drink eight x 8-ounce glasses, which is the same as 2L or half a gallon of water per day. Don’t forget that if you are exercising you should be drinking more than this.

What to do if you're sick

When you vomit acid will come into contact with your teeth – if you clean your teeth straight afterwards you run the risk of damaging them as they will have been softened by this acid attack. The best thing to do is to rinse your mouth out with clean fresh water and wait a few hours before brushing.

“I have been a patient at the UCL Dental Centre since the early 1980s. Throughout this time I have been most impressed both by the administrative efficiency of the practice, and by the personal care and attention to detail which Dr Jones and her hygienists have shown in their tending to my dental needs. I would unhesitatingly recommend the UCL Dental Centre to anybody looking for a modern and sympathetic dental practice.”

About the Dental Centre London

We provide excellent care to all our patients. Our experienced, caring and professional team consistently delivers high quality treatments.

The Dental Centre at UCL is the only practice in Central London to have held the Denplan Excel Accreditation for the last 10 years. This clearly demonstrates our commitment to these high standards and is the only such accreditation to be approved by the Patients’ Association.

Our specialist oral surgeon, Dr Jill McLoughlin, is a highly experienced surgeon who has been working at our practice for over 10 years. She deals with tooth removal and specialises in wisdom tooth extraction. Please don’t suffer in silence if you are experiencing wisdom tooth pain during your studies.

In line with the recommendations of our regulators, we firmly believe that all our patients should have choice and options in the treatment they are offered so that they can decide their preferences. Where specialist treatment is required we are fortunate to be able to refer our patients to leading clinicians in Central London as appropriate. Our patients benefit from the choices we offer, including orthodontic treatment and Invisalign braces.

If you are interested in joining our practice, please contact us on 020 7380 0034  or pop in to see us when convenient.

The Dental Centre at UCL, used to be situated on the 5th floor of the UCL Health Centre 3 Gower Place, next  to the UCL Student Union, has been established for more than 60 years and has now relocated to 139 Euston Road. We provide a wide range of dental care to UCL students, staff and members of the public including NHS, Private and Denplan treatment.

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