Community Health Center

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

545 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90013-2101

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC is a community health center dental clinic in Los Angeles, CA, operated by Northeast Valley Health, which runs 13 clinics in California.

The health center is open about 42.5 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Access to This Clinic

This clinic is located inside a school. School-based health center sites typically serve enrolled students, and in some cases their families or the surrounding community. Access is determined jointly by the school and the health center. Contact the clinic before visiting to confirm whether patients who are not students can be seen.

Clinic Details

Address545 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone213-347-6357
Operated byNortheast Valley Health
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)
SettingSchool
Site scheduleFull-Time
Operating calendarYear-Round

Planning Your Visit

545 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

The published number is 213-347-6357. It may be a shared scheduling line. Say which site you mean and that you want dental rather than medical, or you can be booked into the wrong queue.

Things to settle on the phone first: the dental hours, and which days appointments run, whether new dental patients are being taken, and the current wait, what a first visit costs, before and after any discount, whether your insurance or Medicaid dental plan is accepted, by plan name, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.

Dental Services

This clinic has not published a list of the treatments it provides. Expect the routine treatments to be available. The question worth asking is about the expensive ones: root canals, dentures and oral surgery are handled in house at some health centers and referred out at others.

Costs and Coverage

Charges are set against household income and household size rather than a fixed fee schedule. Northeast Valley Health sets its own income bands, so a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. Ask them to run your household through it before you commit to a treatment plan. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to bring.

No Medicaid registration has been recorded for this clinic, which is not the same as Medicaid being refused. What California Medicaid covers for adults is a state decision and has been cut and restored in several states; for children the benefit is required nationally. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.

Common Questions

Can anyone use this clinic?

This site operates inside a school, which usually means it serves enrolled students and sometimes their siblings rather than the general public. Confirm who is eligible before you travel; if you are not, the other clinics listed below are the ones to call.

Is anything done for anxiety?

Ask, because the answer changes what the visit costs. Talking it through, longer appointments and numbing gel before the injection are usually free; sedation is a billed extra and does not always fall inside the discount. Our guide to dental anxiety and what it costs covers what to ask for.

Is this the only option in Los Angeles?

No — Los Angeles has other clinics of this kind, and they are listed on the page for the city. Waiting lists are held separately at each one, so the shortest wait is not reliably at the nearest address.

Is Medicaid accepted?

It has not been confirmed either way for this clinic, which is not the same as no. In most states the dental benefit runs through separate managed care plans, so call with the dental plan name printed on your card rather than asking about Medicaid in general.

Will I see a dentist or a hygienist?

Depends on what you booked. A cleaning is normally a hygienist; an examination, filling or extraction is a dentist. Some clinics run hygiene appointments on different days from dentist appointments, which is worth knowing before you take time off.

Is there help if I do not speak English?

Health centers are required to provide language assistance and most have interpreting available, in person or by phone. Say which language you need when you book rather than on the day, so an interpreter can be arranged for the appointment.

Size of the Dental Service

Northeast Valley Health provided 84,909 dental visits and 31,411 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 95.83 full-time dental staff. This indicates an established dental service operating regular sessions, although appointment availability still varies by clinic and time of year.

Figures describe the operating organization as a whole, across all of its clinics.

Other Clinics Operated by Northeast Valley Health

Northeast Valley Health operates 12 other clinics in 10 other communities in California. Asking the scheduling line which site can see you soonest is usually faster than calling each in turn; the shortest wait is not always the closest clinic. A sliding fee determination made at one of its clinics commonly carries across to the others, so income documents may not need providing twice. What is treated at one site is no guide to another, so confirm with the clinic you actually intend to visit.

Other Dental Clinics Nearby

Measured straight-line rather than by road. Availability varies enough between them that a second call is usually worth making.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based Fees

Call Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.

213-347-6357

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