Dental schools that take patients
Dental school clinics charge roughly 40–70% less than private practice, because the work is done by supervised students. Here is every accredited program in the U.S., whether its low-cost clinic takes patients from the public, and how to reach it.
What the trade-off actually is. You are not getting cheaper dentistry — you are getting the same dentistry, slower. Appointments run two to four hours because a supervising faculty dentist checks each step, and a course of treatment can stretch over months. Students also select patients whose cases match what they need to learn, so not every case is accepted. If you can trade time for money, the savings are real. If you need it done this week, this is not the route.
Alabama
- Call to confirm
Arizona
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
Arkansas
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Lyon College School of Dental Medicine
Recently founded program. No public patient clinic confirmed — do not rely on this one for treatment yet.
No public clinic
California
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California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine
No public patient clinic found on the school site.
No public clinic - Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
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University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Also operates a Sacramento clinic (916-672-2774).
Patient clinic - Patient clinic
Colorado
- Call to confirm
Connecticut
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University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
Largest provider of dental care to underserved patients in Connecticut; 17 community sites.
Patient clinic
District of Columbia
- Patient clinic
Florida
- Call to confirm
- Patient clinic
-
University of Florida College of Dentistry
Additional locations in Hialeah, St. Petersburg, Naples and Yulee.
Patient clinic
Georgia
- Call to confirm
Illinois
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University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry
Largest dental care provider in Illinois — over 35,000 patients a year.
Patient clinic - Call to confirm
- Call to confirm
Indiana
- Patient clinic
Iowa
- Patient clinic
Kentucky
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
Louisiana
- Patient clinic
Maine
- Patient clinic
Maryland
- Patient clinic
Massachusetts
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
- Patient clinic
Michigan
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
Minnesota
- Call to confirm
Mississippi
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University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry
Student clinic runs at roughly half of private-practice fees; resident clinics about 25% below.
Patient clinic
Missouri
- Call to confirm
- Call to confirm
- Call to confirm
Nebraska
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
Nevada
- Patient clinic
New Jersey
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Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
New Jersey's only dental school and the state's largest provider of oral healthcare.
Patient clinic
New York
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
North Carolina
- Call to confirm
- Patient clinic
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UNC Adams School of Dentistry
Around 90,000 patient visits a year.
Patient clinic
Ohio
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
- Patient clinic
Oklahoma
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University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry
Student clinics in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Patient clinic
Oregon
- Patient clinic
Pennsylvania
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
- Patient clinic
Puerto Rico
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
- Call to confirm
South Carolina
- Call to confirm
Tennessee
- Call to confirm
- Call to confirm
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University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry
Tennessee's only public dental school.
Patient clinic
Texas
- Patient clinic
- Call to confirm
- Patient clinic
-
UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry
Over 123,000 patients treated a year.
Patient clinic
Utah
- Call to confirm
- Call to confirm
Virginia
- Call to confirm
Washington
- Call to confirm
- Patient clinic
West Virginia
- Call to confirm
Wisconsin
- Call to confirm
No school matches that search.
States with no dental school
Thirteen states have no accredited dental school at all — if you live in one, your nearest clinic is across a state line, and school clinics generally do not care which state you come from:
Alaska · Delaware · Hawaii · Idaho · Kansas · Montana · New Hampshire · New Mexico · North Dakota · Rhode Island · South Dakota · Vermont · Wyoming
Community health centers are usually the better option in these states. The federal government runs a free finder at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov — these centers charge on a sliding scale tied to your income.
What dental school clinics treat
Student clinics handle most everyday dentistry: exams, cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, and full and partial dentures. Implants, braces and complex surgery usually go to graduate residents, who already hold a dental degree. To know what a school's quote is worth, compare it with the private-practice price first: crowns, root canals, extractions, dentures and implants. For the other low-cost routes, see seeing a dentist without insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Do dental schools take patients for free?
Rarely for free, but for much less: school clinics typically charge 40–70% below private practice because supervised students do the work. Fees, including any charge for the first screening visit, are set by each clinic. For care at no cost, the better routes are community health centers, which charge on a sliding scale tied to income (findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov), and Dental Lifeline Network, which arranges donated care for people who are elderly, disabled or medically fragile.
How do I become a patient at a dental school?
Call the clinic or use its online request form (linked in the list above) and ask for a screening appointment. At the screening a dentist examines you, usually with X-rays, and decides whether your case fits what the students need to learn. If it does, you are assigned to a student and scheduled. Popular clinics keep waitlists, so ask how long it is when you call and get on it early.
Can you get dentures through a dental school?
Yes. Replacing missing teeth, including full and partial dentures, is part of every accredited dental program, so denture cases are common in student clinics and cost well below private fees. Graduate prosthodontics programs also take implant-supported dentures and full-arch cases. Dentures need several fittings, so expect more appointments than at a private office.
Can I get dental implants at a dental school?
At many schools, yes. Implants are usually placed by graduate residents in periodontics, prosthodontics or oral surgery, who already hold a dental degree, and typically cost $1,500–$2,500 complete instead of $3,000–$4,500 in private practice. Not every school runs an implant clinic, so ask when you call.
How this list was built
The school list comes from the American Student Dental Association's roster of U.S. dental schools; accreditation is held by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Clinic pages and phone numbers were then read one by one from each school's own website on 2026-07-13.
We publish what we verified, and say so when we could not. 46 of the 78 schools have a clinic page we read directly — those are marked Patient clinic. The rest are marked Call to confirm: the school is accredited and listed, but its server blocks automated requests, so we link to the official school site rather than print a phone number we could not check. Two programs are marked No public clinic — they are accredited but we found no clinic open to the public, and we would rather tell you that than let you waste a phone call.
Clinic phone numbers and hours change. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will fix it.