Accredited dental hygiene program
Century College
3300 Century Avenue North, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Century College runs an accredited dental hygiene program in White Bear Lake, MN. 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 Minnesota
Minnesota has 10 accredited dental hygiene programs altogether. If this one is full or the wait is too long, the others are separate institutions with separate lists:
- Normandale Community College — Bloomington
- Central Lakes College — Brainerd
- Lake Superior College — Duluth
- Minnesota State University, Mankato — Mankato
- University of Minnesota School of Dentistry — Minneapolis
The full Minnesota 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, how far ahead they are booking, and whether there is a cancellation list, whether the clinic closes over the summer or between terms, whether the clinic is open to the public this term, and taking new patients, 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
Can I use this instead of seeing a dentist at all?
Not really. A hygiene clinic maintains the teeth you have; it cannot diagnose and treat what goes wrong with them. Think of it as the cheap way to keep up preventive care, alongside a dentist you see when something needs fixing.
How long will the appointment take?
Two to three hours is normal, and some programs split what a private hygienist would finish in one visit across two. The student works carefully and stops for an instructor to check the work, often more than once. Allow the whole morning or afternoon.
What if I have not seen a dentist in years?
That is a common reason to come here and not a problem in itself — heavy build-up is exactly what students need to work on. Expect more than one appointment, and expect to be referred on if the examination finds decay, since that is a dentist’s job.
Can I bring my children?
Many programs treat children and some run dedicated sessions for them, but minimum ages vary and not every clinic accepts them. Children often need a shorter appointment than the student schedule assumes, so ask before booking.
Do they take Medicaid?
Sometimes, but college clinics bill insurance less often than health centers do. Adult dental coverage under Minnesota 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.
Is a student cleaning as good as a professional one?
The work is slower and it is checked by a licensed instructor before you leave. Many patients find it more thorough than a routine private appointment for exactly that reason. What you give up is time, not care.
Accreditation
Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2028. 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 Minnesota
- Community health center dental clinics in Minnesota — full dental care including fillings and extractions, with fees discounted by household income.
- Dental schools in Minnesota — 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 Minnesota — 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
- Central Lakes College — Brainerd, MN
- Herzing University — St. Louis Park, MN
- Lake Superior College — Duluth, MN
- Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Moorhead — Moorhead, MN
- Minnesota State University, Mankato — Mankato, MN