British Dental Museum
a free museum of teeth and terror
A free Marylebone museum of dentistry's gruesome past, with 25,000 objects from old drills to celebrity teeth.
Free to visit · Marylebone · Bond Street · W1G 8YS
Opening: Open weekdays, check times before visiting
Run by the British Dental Association on Wimpole Street, this free little museum holds some twenty-five thousand objects telling the long and frequently terrifying story of dentistry. There are antique drills, fearsome tooth keys, training models, painted advertisements and the odd celebrity set of dentures, all laid out for nothing.
It is gloriously niche and a little bit gruesome, which is exactly why it is worth a look. You will leave grateful for modern anaesthetic and quietly delighted that a museum this specific exists, free, in the heart of medical Marylebone.
Getting there: On Wimpole Street in Marylebone, a short walk from Bond Street or Oxford Circus.
Best time to go: A weekday, as it keeps office hours, with a quick call ahead to be sure it is staffed.
Insider tip: It keeps weekday office hours and can close for events, so phone ahead before you go. It sits in the medical Marylebone district near the Wallace Collection, another free gem, so pair the two.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide