Accredited dental hygiene program
Regis College
235 Wellesley Street, Weston, MA 02493-1571
Regis College runs an accredited dental hygiene program in Weston, MA. Students train by working on real patients, which is why programs like this often run a low-cost clinic that anyone can book into.
What matters most before you make the trip is scope. Dental hygienists are trained in preventive and gum care, so a hygiene clinic can clean your teeth thoroughly and treat gum disease, but it cannot fill a cavity, pull a tooth, or fit a crown. If something hurts, this is not the place to start.
What a Hygiene Clinic Can and Cannot Do
Hygiene students are trained in preventive and gum care, so a teaching clinic covers cleanings, deep cleaning for gum disease, X-rays, gum assessments, fluoride, sealants, and technique coaching.
What it does not offer is anything a dentist must do: fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, dentures, implants, or emergency treatment. If the examination finds a cavity or a broken tooth, the clinic will tell you and refer you on, but the treatment happens elsewhere. If a tooth hurts now, start somewhere else.
Prices vary program by program but sit well below private practice, and a flat fee covering every appointment is common. X-rays may or may not be included — worth asking. Appointments run long, two to three hours is normal, and clinics follow the academic year, so many close over the summer and between terms.
Other Accredited Hygiene Programs in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has 8 accredited dental hygiene programs altogether. If this one is full or the wait is too long, the others are separate institutions with separate lists:
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences — Boston
- Bristol Community College — Fall River
- Mount Wachusett Community College — Gardner
- Middlesex Community College — Lowell
- Springfield Technical Community College — Springfield
The full Massachusetts list has the rest.
Before You Call
Expect the clinic to have its own entrance, its own number and its own timetable, none of which match the college switchboard. Worth settling on the phone: whether they can treat you if you have not seen a dentist in years, whether a screening or phone assessment comes first, whether the clinic closes over the summer or between terms, where the clinic entrance is, and where to park, and the total fee, and whether X-rays and follow-up visits are inside it.
Hours and fees change from one term to the next, so confirm shortly before you go rather than relying on a page read weeks earlier.
Common Questions
Do they take Medicaid?
Sometimes, but college clinics bill insurance less often than health centers do. Adult dental coverage under Massachusetts Medicaid is set at state level and varies widely; children’s dental coverage is a required benefit everywhere. Our Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.
What if this clinic cannot see me?
Other low-cost routes exist in Weston, MA. community health centers in Massachusetts discount fees by household income and provide full dental care rather than preventive work alone. For treatment a hygienist cannot do, dental schools in Massachusetts are the other reduced-cost option. Both are linked further down this page.
Why is it so much cheaper?
Because you are part of the training. Students need patients to qualify, and the clinic exists to give them that experience under supervision. The trade is your time for their practice, which is why the appointment is long and the price is low.
Can I get a filling at the same visit?
No. Fillings are outside a hygienist’s scope entirely, so even a small cavity found during your cleaning has to be treated somewhere else. Plan for two separate appointments at two separate places if you suspect you need one.
Are the instruments and standards the same as a private practice?
Yes. Infection control and sterilization are regulated identically wherever dental care is provided, and a teaching clinic is inspected on it as part of accreditation. The equipment is often newer than a small private practice can afford.
Will they take X-rays?
Usually yes, and often as part of the assessment rather than on request. Whether they are included in the quoted fee or billed on top varies by program, and it is frequently the difference between a cheap visit and a less cheap one. Ask when you book.
Accreditation
Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2030. For a patient it is reasonable assurance that the supervision behind the clinic is held to a national standard. It is not a statement that the clinic is open.
Other Low-Cost Options in Massachusetts
- Community health center dental clinics in Massachusetts — full dental care including fillings and extractions, with fees discounted by household income.
- Dental schools in Massachusetts — cheaper than private practice for large amounts of work, slower than everything else, and selective about which cases they take.
- Free and charitable dental care in Massachusetts — volunteer and donated-care programs, with eligibility rules and limited places.
- How sliding-scale clinics work — who qualifies for an income-based discount and how to apply for one.
Other Dental Hygiene Programs Nearby
- Bristol Community College — Fall River, MA
- Cape Cod Community College — West Barnstable, MA
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences — Boston, MA
- Middlesex Community College — Lowell, MA
- Mount Wachusett Community College — Gardner, MA