Dental school clinics: what to expect, and is it worth it?

Dental school clinics treat the public at reduced fees, with students doing the work and licensed dentists checking every step. Here is how getting in works, how long it takes, what it costs, and who it suits.

The short answer. At a dental school clinic, supervised students provide treatment for less than most private practices charge. Expect a screening visit first, appointments of two to three hours, more visits per treatment and breaks around the academic calendar. It suits planned treatment more than emergencies, though many schools run an urgent-care clinic too.

How it works

Every accredited US dental school runs a teaching clinic, because students have to treat real patients to graduate. Each step — the exam, the plan, the drilling, the final check — is reviewed and signed off by a licensed faculty dentist before the student moves on. Graduate programmes inside the same schools train specialists, so many schools also have residents providing orthodontics, root canals, gum treatment and oral surgery.

This site lists 143 dental school clinic sites. Some schools run satellite clinics in community settings in addition to the main building.

Getting in: the screening visit

Most schools start with a screening or assessment appointment, often for a small fee, with X-rays and an exam. Its purpose is partly to decide whether your needs fit what students are currently able to learn on. Simple and moderate cases are accepted most readily; very complex cases may be referred to the graduate clinics or elsewhere.

If you are accepted, you are assigned to a student who manages your treatment, and you may wait for one with an opening. Ask at the screening how long that usually takes.

Time is the real price

Appointments are long, commonly two to three hours, because work stops for faculty checks.
Treatment takes more visits than at a private office.
Clinics follow the academic year, and can slow or close during exams and summer and winter breaks. A crown started in April can stall over summer.
Most clinics are open on weekdays during working hours only.

For someone with a flexible schedule and a plan's worth of work — several fillings, dentures, a crown — that trade is often worth it. For someone who cannot take a morning off work, a community health center may suit better.

What it costs

Fees vary by school and are set by each school, not by a national rule. They are usually well below private-practice prices, and many schools accept Medicaid and some insurance. They are not usually income-based in the way a health center's sliding scale is. Ask for a written estimate after the screening; schools give them as a matter of routine. If income-based pricing matters most to you, compare with a community health center's sliding scale.

Is the care any good?

The supervision is close — closer than in many private practices, where nobody checks the dentist's work. The common complaint about dental schools is not quality but pace. Students are also often very thorough, because missing something costs them marks.

Emergencies

Many schools run an urgent or emergency clinic, often first-come, first-served each morning, that treats pain and infection without the screening process. Call before you go, because hours are limited. If you have facial swelling, fever, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, go to an emergency department. More in emergency dental care when you have no money.

Dental hygiene schools for cleanings

Community colleges and universities that train dental hygienists run their own clinics for cleanings, X-rays and fluoride, often for a small fee. A hygiene clinic cannot do fillings or extractions, but it can give you a clean start and a written note of what needs doing — useful when you then look for a clinic that can.

This guide is general information, not dental, medical or insurance advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the clinic or agency concerned. See our disclaimer and how we build this directory.