Is there a way to go to a dental school to get your dental work done cheaper than you would with a graduated dentist? I’m sort of broke at the moment and I’m pretty sure I have at least one cavity.

Benton

Dear Benton,

Yes, there are dental schools that will do your dental work. It will cost about half of what you would pay with your dentist. Not all states have dental schools. For instance, there is not a dental school in Arkansas. So you would have to make sure there is one in your area.

If so, it will be students who do the work and then that work is checked by an instructor. You will not get shoddy work, but it will not be top of the line work either. Another factor is the time it would take you.

If you were going to a regular dental practice and needed three dental fillings, you could have those procedures done in one appointment, which could be done in about 45 minutes.

At a dental school, each of those three fillings would have to be done at separate appointments and each appointment would take about an hour and a half. So, you are looking at 4 and a half hours of work, plus travel time back and forth for each of those three appointments. If you’re paid by the hour, you might end up losing money.

Another option is to look for a private dentist who doesn’t mind advertising themselves as an affordable dentist. This usually means they work to keep their prices down. Often, these dentists will offer payment plan options as well. This way you can save time and likely get better quality work done.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.