verified_userIndependent data • Reviewed June 2026

Dental School Clinic Costs in 2026

Name: U.S. dental school clinic vs private practice price comparison (2026)
Creator: Real Dental Costs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

CODA-accredited dental school clinics charge roughly 50-70% less than private practice for the same procedures: a new-patient exam around $45-90, a cleaning $38-80, an extraction about $69, and a root canal $300-550 (source: UNC and UW fee schedules, NIDCR). Every student procedure is supervised by a licensed faculty dentist.

How Much Do Dental School Clinics Charge? (Fee Schedule Data)

Private practices rarely publish their price lists, but several CODA-accredited dental schools make their fee schedules publicly accessible. The figures below are sourced from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry fee schedule and the University of Washington School of Dentistry fee schedule PDF (both accessed June 2026), cross-referenced against the NIDCR savings benchmark.

calculate

School Clinic vs Private Practice: Savings Estimator

Estimate how much you could save at a dental school clinic vs private practice

Treatment Cost ($)$5,000

APR (%)14.9 %

Loan Term (months)24 months

paymentsMonthly Payment Breakdown

$242

Monthly Payment

$5,813

Total Paid

$813

Interest Cost

* Estimates based on 2026 U.S. national averages. Actual costs vary by location and provider.

Dental School vs Private Practice: Procedure Price Comparison

The table below shows representative ranges at student clinics alongside private practice averages. Private practice averages are sourced from CareCredit's ASQ360 2023-2025 benchmark and ADA survey data. School clinic figures are from publicly available fee schedules (UNC, UW).

Dental school clinic vs private practice — procedure costs (2026)

School clinic fees from UNC and UW public fee schedules (June 2026). Private practice from ADA and CareCredit ASQ360 2023-2025.

Exam / new-patient screening (school clinic)$45 – $90

$60

Exam / new-patient visit (private practice)$100 – $300

$203

Cleaning — prophylaxis (school clinic)$38 – $80

$55

X-rays — full series (school clinic)$50 – $120

$80

Filling — composite (school clinic)$70 – $150

$110

Extraction — simple (school clinic)$55 – $100

$69

Root canal — anterior (school clinic)$300 – $550

$400

Root canal — private practice average$984 – $1,337

$1,160

Crown — private practice average$800 – $2,500

$1,650

Low–HighAverage

Disclaimer: Fees shown are drawn from publicly available fee schedules and may not reflect current rates at any specific school. Call the clinic to confirm fees before scheduling.

The Three Tiers of Care at Dental Schools (Student / Resident / Faculty)

Most CODA schools run three levels of care, each with different pricing and speed:

Tier 1 — Predoctoral students: Third- and fourth-year dental students perform care under direct faculty supervision. Fees are the lowest — typically 50-70% below private practice. Appointments run 2-3 hours. These clinics are best for routine and moderately complex procedures that fit student learning objectives.

Tier 2 — Resident specialists: Licensed dentists in post-graduate specialty programs (endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, orthodontics, prosthodontics). Faster than student clinics, lower-cost than private specialists, and capable of complex cases. UCLA's provider page describes resident-level fees as "higher than the general clinic but still lower than the private sector" (dentistry.ucla.edu, accessed June 2026).

Tier 3 — Faculty group practice: A near-private-practice experience staffed by full-time faculty. UCLA describes this tier as "near-private-sector cost" — savings over private practice are typically 10-20% rather than 50-70%. Choose this tier if speed and predictable scheduling matter more than maximum savings.

NYU, Columbia, and Top Urban Dental Schools: What They Charge

The search query "NYU dental price list" reflects real demand — large urban schools attract patients who cannot afford NYC or LA private fees.

NYU College of Dentistry (345 E 24th St, New York, NY 10010) is one of the largest dental schools in the U.S. and offers predoctoral care at approximately 40-60% below comparable NYC private-practice rates. NYU does not publish a public procedure price list; confirmed fees require contacting the clinic directly at dental.nyu.edu or by phone. Based on the general savings principle and NYC overhead levels, expect new-patient exams in the range of $60-100 and anterior root canals in the range of $400-700.

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (630 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032) operates similarly priced predoctoral and resident clinics. Contact dental.columbia.edu to check eligibility and schedule a screening.

Harvard School of Dental Medicine (188 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115) is structured differently from most dental schools: Harvard's predoctoral program is smaller and the clinic tends to operate closer to the resident/faculty-practice pricing tier. Savings over private Boston rates are real but typically on the lower end compared to state schools.

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (1 Kneeland St, Boston, MA 02111) offers a larger predoctoral clinic with broader patient acceptance and fees that are among the more affordable in the Boston area for a private university school.

For all schools: call or check the school's patient-care page to confirm the current screening process and whether your treatment needs match what students are learning that semester.

How to Become a Patient: The Intake Process and Timeline

The path from first contact to first treatment at most schools follows the same four-step pattern:

Contact the clinic — phone or online form requesting a new-patient or screening appointment. Most urban schools have waitlists; call early.
Screening exam — a comprehensive exam and X-rays performed or supervised by faculty. Typically $45-75 at most schools, non-refundable. This determines whether you are a good clinical candidate.
Treatment plan and student matching — faculty develop a treatment plan from the findings, then match you to a student dentist whose semester curriculum includes your needed procedures. Complex or multi-system cases may be split across multiple students.
Treatment begins — first treatment appointment is typically scheduled 1-4 weeks after matching.

Realistic timeline: Large urban schools (UCLA, NYU, Columbia, Tufts) run 2-6 weeks from inquiry to first treatment appointment in normal periods. Smaller programs or those mid-semester may run 6-12 weeks. Not every patient is accepted — if your treatment needs don't align with current student learning objectives, you may be referred to the resident or faculty clinic (at a higher tier cost) or waitlisted.

Do Dental Schools Accept Insurance and Medicaid?

Insurance and government program acceptance varies by school and clinic tier:

PPO dental insurance is accepted at most large dental school clinics; Medicaid acceptance varies significantly by program and state.
Medicaid: As of 2025, 38 states plus Washington DC offer expanded adult Medicaid dental benefits with an annual maximum of at least $1,000 (NewMouth analysis of state Medicaid data, 2025). NIDCR confirms dental schools as a key access point for Medicaid patients. Check your state's coverage at Medicaid dental coverage by state.
CHIP covers dental care for children up to age 19; services and cost-sharing vary by state (source: NIDCR, nidcr.nih.gov).
Medicare does not cover routine dental care, fillings, crowns or dentures — this makes dental schools especially valuable for seniors on a fixed income.
Cash patients are accepted everywhere; many schools offer reduced fees for income-qualified patients.

How to Find a CODA-Accredited Dental School Near You

All 66 CODA-accredited U.S. dental schools are listed below by state. The Price Tier column reflects whether the school's predoctoral clinic fees are typically at the lower, mid or near-private-sector range, based on the three-tier model and cost-of-living context. "Check fee schedule" indicates the school publishes a public fee list or accepts direct fee inquiries.

This table covers the major CODA-accredited schools. For a complete official list, see the ADA CODA directory at ada.org/coda.

State	School	City	Price Tier	Fee Info
AL	University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Dentistry	Birmingham	Lower	Check fee schedule
AZ	A.T. Still University — Arizona School of Dentistry (ATSU)	Mesa	Mid	Check fee schedule
AZ	Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine	Glendale	Mid	Check fee schedule
AZ	University of Arizona College of Dentistry	Tucson	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
CA	Loma Linda University School of Dentistry	Loma Linda	Mid	Check fee schedule
CA	UCLA School of Dentistry	Los Angeles	Mid (3 tiers)	dentistry.ucla.edu
CA	USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry	Los Angeles	Mid-High	Check fee schedule
CA	University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry	San Francisco	Mid-High	Check fee schedule
CA	University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry	San Francisco	Mid	Check fee schedule
CA	Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine	Pomona	Mid	Check fee schedule
CO	University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine	Aurora	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
CT	University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine	Farmington	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
DC	Howard University College of Dentistry	Washington DC	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
FL	Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine	Fort Lauderdale	Mid	Check fee schedule
FL	University of Florida College of Dentistry	Gainesville	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
GA	Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University	Augusta	Lower	Check fee schedule
IL	Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine — Illinois	Downers Grove	Mid	Check fee schedule
IL	Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine	Alton	Lower	Check fee schedule
IL	University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry	Chicago	Mid	Check fee schedule
IN	Indiana University School of Dentistry	Indianapolis	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
IA	University of Iowa College of Dentistry	Iowa City	Lower	Check fee schedule
KY	University of Kentucky College of Dentistry	Lexington	Lower	Check fee schedule
KY	University of Louisville School of Dentistry	Louisville	Lower	Check fee schedule
LA	Louisiana State University Health New Orleans School of Dentistry (LSU)	New Orleans	Lower	Check fee schedule
MA	Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine	Boston	Mid	Check fee schedule
MA	Harvard School of Dental Medicine	Boston	Mid-High	dental.harvard.edu
MA	Tufts University School of Dental Medicine	Boston	Mid	dental.tufts.edu
MD	University of Maryland School of Dentistry	Baltimore	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
MI	University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry	Detroit	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
MI	University of Michigan School of Dentistry	Ann Arbor	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
MN	University of Minnesota School of Dentistry	Minneapolis	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
MO	University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry	Kansas City	Lower	Check fee schedule
MS	University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry (UMMC)	Jackson	Lower	Check fee schedule
NE	Creighton University School of Dentistry	Omaha	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
NE	University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry	Lincoln	Lower	Check fee schedule
NV	University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine (UNLV)	Las Vegas	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
NJ	Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	Newark	Mid	Check fee schedule
NY	Columbia University College of Dental Medicine	New York	Mid-High	dental.columbia.edu
NY	New York University College of Dentistry	New York	Mid-High	dental.nyu.edu
NY	Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine	Stony Brook	Mid	Check fee schedule
NY	Touro College of Dental Medicine	Hawthorne	Mid	Check fee schedule
NY	University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine	Buffalo	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
NC	University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry	Chapel Hill	Lower	Public fee schedule
OH	Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine	Cleveland	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
OH	Ohio State University College of Dentistry	Columbus	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
OK	University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry	Oklahoma City	Lower	Check fee schedule
OR	Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry	Portland	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
PA	Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry	Philadelphia	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
PA	University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (Penn Dental)	Philadelphia	Mid	penndentalmedicine.org
PA	University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine	Pittsburgh	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
RI	University of New England College of Dental Medicine	Portland, ME	Mid	Check fee schedule
TN	Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry	Nashville	Lower	Check fee schedule
TN	University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry	Memphis	Lower	Check fee schedule
TX	Texas A&M College of Dentistry	Dallas	Lower	Check fee schedule
TX	University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry (UTHealth)	Houston	Lower	Check fee schedule
TX	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Dentistry	San Antonio	Lower	Check fee schedule
UT	Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine	South Jordan	Mid	Check fee schedule
UT	University of Utah School of Dentistry	Salt Lake City	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
VA	Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry	Richmond	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
WA	University of Washington School of Dentistry	Seattle	Lower	Public fee schedule
WI	Marquette University School of Dentistry	Milwaukee	Lower-Mid	Check fee schedule
WV	West Virginia University School of Dentistry	Morgantown	Lower	Check fee schedule

Price tier key: "Lower" = typically 60-70% below private practice (state schools, lower cost-of-living areas). "Mid" = typically 45-60% below (private universities, mid-cost cities). "Mid-High" = typically 30-50% below (large private schools in high cost-of-living metros). "Near-private" = faculty practice tier at any school.

Is Dental School Dental Work Safe?

Yes — with an important caveat on timing and complexity.

Every CODA-accredited program requires that a licensed faculty dentist supervise and sign off on student work at each clinical checkpoint. CODA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting authority for dental education programs, which means the care standard is federally benchmarked, not self-certified.

The practical trade-offs: appointments take 2-3 times longer than in private practice, cases requiring rapid completion (acute infections, time-sensitive implant placement) may not be suitable for student clinics, and not every patient or procedure type is accepted into the student curriculum. For routine and restorative care — exams, cleanings, fillings, simple extractions, straightforward root canals — the quality is well-documented by NIDCR and widely reported by patients.

Related guides

Dental Financing Options

Finance the remainder after school clinic savings.

Medicaid Dental by State

Which states cover adult dental under Medicaid.

Emergency Dental Without Insurance

Urgent care options when you need help today.

Root Canal Cost

Private practice benchmarks — compare against school clinic rates above.

Dental Crown Cost

One of the biggest savings opportunities at a dental school.

Dental Implant Cost

Implant programs at dental schools can cut a $4,000+ fee significantly.

Frequently asked questions

How much does dental work cost at a dental school clinic?

Public fee schedule data shows student clinic rates at roughly 50-70% below private practice: a new-patient exam runs about $45-90 (vs $100-300 at a private office), a cleaning around $38-80, a simple filling $70-150, a simple extraction about $69, and an anterior root canal around $300-550. These figures are drawn from publicly available fee schedules at UNC and UW Dentistry (accessed June 2026) and the NIDCR savings benchmark.

How much does dental work cost at NYU dental school?

NYU College of Dentistry (345 E 24th St, New York) does not publish a procedure-by-procedure price list online. Based on the general principle confirmed by NIDCR, student clinic care at NYU runs approximately 40-60% below comparable private-practice rates in New York City. That translates to roughly $60-100 for a new-patient exam and $400-700 for a root canal, though rates at NYC schools tend to be higher than national school averages due to local overhead costs. Call the NYU Dental Faculty Practice (212-998-9800) or visit dental.nyu.edu to confirm current fees and check patient eligibility.

Is dental school dental work safe?

Yes. All CODA-accredited dental schools require that licensed faculty supervise every student procedure. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), a recognized accrediting authority of the U.S. Department of Education, sets the quality standard. Care takes longer and may require more visits, but the clinical outcome is subject to the same faculty sign-off as a private practice, in many cases with more time spent on each tooth.

What is the cheapest dental school clinic?

No single school is universally cheapest — fees vary by state, school size and program type. Schools in lower cost-of-living states (UNC Chapel Hill, University of Tennessee, LSU, University of Mississippi) consistently come in at the lower end of the national range. The procedure-level fee schedule from UNC (exam $45, cleaning $38, extraction $69, root canal ~$400) represents a realistic floor for what well-established state schools charge.

How do I become a patient at a dental school?

The typical process: (1) Contact the predoctoral clinic by phone or online form to request a screening appointment. (2) Attend the screening: a comprehensive exam and X-rays, often at a reduced fee ($45-75 at most schools), performed or supervised by faculty. (3) A treatment plan is developed from the findings. (4) You are matched with a student dentist whose upcoming clinical requirements align with your needed procedures. Wait times from inquiry to first treatment run 2-6 weeks at large urban schools (UCLA, NYU, Columbia) and up to 3 months at smaller programs.

How long do dental school appointments take?

Student clinic appointments run 2-3 hours for procedures that a private dentist completes in 45-60 minutes. Students work more deliberately, pause for faculty check-ins and must document each step. Multi-visit cases such as crowns or dentures also require more appointments than in private practice. Building in half-day time blocks is realistic for most clinical work.

Do dental schools accept insurance and Medicaid?

Many schools accept PPO insurance and some accept Medicaid, though coverage varies by program. As of 2025, 38 states plus DC have expanded Medicaid adult dental benefits with an annual maximum of at least $1,000 (source: NewMouth analysis of state Medicaid data). Contact the specific school to confirm which plans they participate in — some predoctoral clinics are cash-only or bill patients directly with insurance as a courtesy.

What is the difference between a dental student and a resident at a dental school clinic?

Most schools offer three tiers. Predoctoral students (tier 1) are in their 3rd-4th year of dental school — fees are the lowest, appointments are the longest. Residents (tier 2) are licensed dentists completing post-graduate specialty training (endodontics, oral surgery, periodontics, etc.) — fees are higher than the predoctoral clinic but still below private practice, and appointments are faster. Faculty practice (tier 3) is a near-private clinic staffed by full faculty — fees approach private-practice rates but often remain 10-20% lower.

Researched & verified by the Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team

Independent dental pricing research — figures verified against the ADA Dental Fee Survey, FAIR Health and CMS fee schedules. Not medical advice.

Reviewed: June 12, 2026How we verify our data

Data Methodology & Sources

The Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team compiles pricing data from the following verified sources: ADA Dental Fee Survey (2024), FAIR Health Consumer Database, and CMS.gov fee schedules. Prices are national estimates and may vary by provider and location.

Pricing & Research Disclaimer: Real Dental Costs publishes independent dental pricing and market-research data for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. Costs vary by provider and location — always consult a licensed dentist for clinical guidance and an exact quote.