Affordable Dental Clinics in California

Popular cities

Dental Clinics in California

Los Angeles59 clinics Sacramento20 clinics San Diego16 clinics San Jose16 clinics Fresno15 clinics San Francisco14 clinics Bakersfield12 clinics Oakland12 clinics Porterville8 clinics Long Beach7 clinics El Monte6 clinics Modesto6 clinics Oxnard6 clinics Panorama City6 clinics Pomona6 clinics San Bernardino6 clinics Anaheim5 clinics Huntington Park5 clinics Oceanside5 clinics Riverside5 clinics Santa Ana5 clinics Tulare5 clinics Bell Gardens4 clinics Delano4 clinics El Cajon4 clinics Hanford4 clinics Mission Viejo4 clinics North Hollywood4 clinics Pasadena4 clinics Santa Barbara4 clinics Santa Rosa4 clinics Vacaville4 clinics Visalia4 clinics Commerce3 clinics Escondido3 clinics Fairfield3 clinics Garden Grove3 clinics Gilroy3 clinics La Habra3 clinics La Mesa3 clinics Lynwood3 clinics Madera3 clinics Merced3 clinics North Hills3 clinics Redding3 clinics Salinas3 clinics San Fernando3 clinics San Rafael3 clinics Santa Cruz3 clinics Tustin3 clinics Van Nuys3 clinics Wilmington3 clinics Windsor3 clinics Adelanto2 clinics Alhambra2 clinics Atherton2 clinics Bellflower2 clinics Berkeley2 clinics Brawley2 clinics Buena Park2 clinics Canyon Country2 clinics Chico2 clinics Compton2 clinics Culver City2 clinics Daly City2 clinics Dinuba2 clinics Dunsmuir2 clinics Fullerton2 clinics Gardena2 clinics Glendale2 clinics Guerneville2 clinics Hayward2 clinics Lancaster2 clinics Lindsay2 clinics Mendota2 clinics Monterey Park2 clinics Napa2 clinics North Highlands2 clinics Orange2 clinics Pacoima2 clinics Palmdale2 clinics Pittsburg2 clinics Red Bluff2 clinics Redway2 clinics Reedley2 clinics San Gabriel2 clinics San Pablo2 clinics San Ysidro2 clinics Shafter2 clinics Sherman Oaks2 clinics Simi Valley2 clinics South Gate2 clinics Stockton2 clinics Sun Valley2 clinics Union City2 clinics Vallejo2 clinics Ventura2 clinics Vista2 clinics Watsonville2 clinics West Covina2 clinics West Hollywood2 clinics Yuba City2 clinics Alameda1 clinic Alpine1 clinic Anderson1 clinic Antioch1 clinic Arbuckle1 clinic Arleta1 clinic Arroyo Grande1 clinic Arvin1 clinic Ashland1 clinic Atwater1 clinic Beverly Hills1 clinic Bieber1 clinic Bishop1 clinic Bloomington1 clinic Blythe1 clinic Borrego Springs1 clinic Burney1 clinic Buttonwillow1 clinic Calexico1 clinic Calistoga1 clinic Camarillo1 clinic Castroville1 clinic Cathedral City1 clinic Ceres1 clinic Chowchilla1 clinic Chula Vista1 clinic Cloverdale1 clinic Colton1 clinic Colusa1 clinic Concord1 clinic Corcoran1 clinic Corona1 clinic Costa Mesa1 clinic Crescent City1 clinic Davis1 clinic Delhi1 clinic Desert Hot Springs1 clinic Dorris1 clinic Dublin1 clinic Earlimart1 clinic East Palo Alto1 clinic El Centro1 clinic Empire1 clinic Eureka1 clinic Fallbrook1 clinic Fillmore1 clinic Firebaugh1 clinic Fort Bragg1 clinic Fortuna1 clinic Fowler1 clinic Freedom1 clinic Fremont1 clinic French Camp1 clinic Galt1 clinic Gonzales1 clinic Greenfield1 clinic Gualala1 clinic Hacienda Heights1 clinic Happy Camp1 clinic Healdsburg1 clinic Hesperia1 clinic Hilmar1 clinic Hollister1 clinic Hughson1 clinic Huntington Beach1 clinic Imperial Beach1 clinic Indio1 clinic Irvine1 clinic Jurupa Valley1 clinic Kerman1 clinic King City1 clinic Kings Beach1 clinic Kingsburg1 clinic Laguna Beach1 clinic Laguna Hills1 clinic Laguna Niguel1 clinic Lake Elsinore1 clinic Lakeport1 clinic Lamont1 clinic Larkspur1 clinic Le Grand1 clinic Lemon Grove1 clinic Lemoore1 clinic Livermore1 clinic Livingston1 clinic Los Banos1 clinic Lost Hills1 clinic Mad River1 clinic Martinez1 clinic Mecca1 clinic Moreno Valley1 clinic Mount Shasta1 clinic Mountain View1 clinic National City1 clinic Needles1 clinic Nevada City1 clinic Newbury Park1 clinic Newman1 clinic Newport Beach1 clinic Nipomo1 clinic Norwalk1 clinic Novato1 clinic Oakhurst1 clinic Oceano1 clinic Olivehurst1 clinic Ontario1 clinic Orange Cove1 clinic Orland1 clinic Orosi1 clinic Oroville1 clinic Palm Springs1 clinic Parlier1 clinic Patterson1 clinic Penn Valley1 clinic Petaluma1 clinic Pico Rivera1 clinic Pinole1 clinic Placerville1 clinic Planada1 clinic Point Arena1 clinic Point Reyes Station1 clinic Redondo Beach1 clinic Redwood City1 clinic Reseda1 clinic Richmond1 clinic Ridgecrest1 clinic Rohnert Park1 clinic Round Mountain1 clinic Rowland Heights1 clinic San Jacinto1 clinic San Joaquin1 clinic San Juan Capistrano1 clinic San Leandro1 clinic San Marcos1 clinic San Mateo1 clinic San Pedro1 clinic Sanger1 clinic Santa Maria1 clinic Santa Monica1 clinic Selma1 clinic Shasta Lake1 clinic Soledad1 clinic South El Monte1 clinic South Lake Tahoe1 clinic Spring Valley1 clinic Stanton1 clinic Stratford1 clinic Sunland1 clinic Sunnyvale1 clinic Susanville1 clinic Taft1 clinic Tehachapi1 clinic Temecula1 clinic Terra Bella1 clinic Thermal1 clinic Tracy1 clinic Ukiah1 clinic Valencia1 clinic Venice1 clinic Victorville1 clinic Wasco1 clinic West Sacramento1 clinic Westwood1 clinic Willits1 clinic Winnetka1 clinic Winters1 clinic Woodlake1 clinic Woodland1 clinic Yreka1 clinic

Affordable Dental Coverage in California

613reviewed dental clinics

271cities with a listing

165operating organizations

613with a published phone number

There are 613 dental clinics in California, spread across 271 cities. Each operates a sliding fee discount based on household income and serves patients regardless of ability to pay.

The discount is based on household income and family size. Each health center sets its own fee schedule, so the amount you pay and whether it applies to a particular dental service must be confirmed directly with the clinic.

Coverage in California is dispersed rather than clustered: 169 of the 271 cities listed hold a single clinic, about 62 percent of them. If the clinic nearest you cannot take a new patient, the next nearest is likely to be in a different town, so it is worth searching by ZIP code and radius rather than by city name.

Those 613 clinics belong to 165 separate health center organizations, an average of 3.7 sites each. The largest operators in California are United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley (22 sites across 13 towns), Omni Family Health (21 sites across 12 towns), Altamed Health Services (17 sites across 8 towns) and Family Healthcare Network (17 sites across 8 towns). Each organization sets its own sliding fee schedule, keeps its own waiting list and contracts with insurers separately, so being turned down by one tells you nothing about the next.

198 of the 613 California clinics have no website — about 32 percent — so the phone is the only way to find out what they offer. Every clinic page carries the questions worth asking on that call.

Where the California Listings Are Concentrated

These are the California cities with the most reviewed dental clinics. If none of them is close to you, use the search above with your ZIP code rather than picking the nearest large city, because dental clinics do not follow city boundaries.

Los Angeles — 58 clinics
Sacramento — 20 clinics
San Diego — 16 clinics
San Jose — 16 clinics
Fresno — 15 clinics

Two things nobody can tell you in advance for California: what your sliding fee discount would work out to — each health center writes its own schedule, so apply for the sliding fee discount — and whether California Medicaid covers adult dental work, which is a state choice that changes with the budget. Children’s dental coverage under Medicaid is required in every state including this one; adult Medicaid dental coverage is not. Two routes are not listed here at all: dental school clinics and free and charitable clinics.

Care options

Dental Care Options in California

Compare community health centers, sliding fee programs, Medicaid dental resources, dental schools and options for uninsured patients.

Community Health CentersSliding Fee ProgramsMedicaid DentalDental Schools

Worth reading first

Minimalist photo of a green notepad and pencil on a white background with a drawn question mark.

What to ask before your first visitThe questions that decide whether the trip is worth making.

Close-up image of an insurance policy with a magnifying glass, money, and toy car.

Dental insurance, discount plans and paying cashWhich is worth it at the amount of work you need.

Close-up of a dental impression model showcasing teeth on a white table.

Does Medicaid cover dental care?Adult coverage is a state choice; children are covered everywhere.

What to ask before your first visitThe questions that decide whether the trip is worth making.

Common questions

Finding Affordable Dental Care in California

Do they treat children?

Generally yes, and children’s dental coverage is a required Medicaid benefit in every state, which makes health centers one of the more reliable routes for a child. Ask whether children are seen on the same days as adults, since some sites split them.

What if there is nothing listed in my town?

Common in California, where the 613 listings sit in 271 communities rather than spread evenly. Check the neighboring city lists, and remember that dental school and hygiene teaching clinics keep waiting lists separate from health centers.

Are community health centers in California free?

Rarely free, but the charge is scaled to what you earn. Health centers must run a sliding fee discount and see patients regardless of ability to pay, so the amount follows your household income and family size. Below a threshold you pay only a nominal charge. Each center sets its own bands, so ask that clinic what yours would be.

How long is the wait for a dental appointment?

Longer than for a medical appointment at the same clinic, frequently by weeks, because dental chairs and dentists are the scarcer resource. Ask for the next available and separately whether they hold same-day slots for pain, which is a different queue.