Accredited dental school
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine
5 Allied Drive, Little Rock, AR 72202
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine is a dental school in Little Rock, AR with an accredited predoctoral program. Dental degrees are earned in part by treating patients under supervision, so many schools run clinics that anyone can apply to as a patient.
Fees at a teaching clinic are set by the school and are usually well below private practice rates, though the care is reduced-cost rather than free. In exchange, appointments are longer and treatment can take more visits than it would elsewhere.
What a Teaching Clinic Is Like
Care is normally split between a student clinic doing general dentistry at the lowest prices, graduate clinics where qualified dentists train in a specialty and charge more, and a faculty practice priced near private practice.
Two things surprise most first-time patients. Nearly every school screens you before agreeing to treat you, and being screened is not the same as being accepted. And appointments run long — often two to three hours — because an instructor checks the work as it goes, so a course of treatment can take months and follows the academic calendar.
Our guide to dental schools and teaching clinics covers the screening process, how the discount works on laboratory costs, and what to ask before the first appointment in more detail.
Before You Call
Schools commonly keep the patient clinic on a different line, and occasionally at a different address, from the school office. Ask before you travel.
- Is the clinic open to the public right now, and taking new patients?
- Is a screening appointment required first, what does it cost, and how soon can you get one?
- Which clinic would handle the treatment you need — the student clinic, a specialty clinic, or the faculty practice — and does it have its own waiting list?
- What are the fees for that treatment, and do they include laboratory work for crowns or dentures?
- Is your insurance or Medicaid plan accepted, and is payment due at each visit?
- Are evening or Saturday appointments available, or is it weekdays only?
- If the school cannot treat part of your case, where does it refer that work?
- Are X-rays from your own dentist accepted, and how recent do they have to be?
Common Questions
Can I be turned down after the screening visit?
Yes, and it is common enough to plan for. Screening decides whether your case matches what students need to learn and what the schedule can absorb. Cases that are urgent, unusually complex, or need a specialty the school does not run are referred elsewhere. The screening fee is not usually refunded if you are not accepted.
Will I see the same person at every visit?
Usually yes for the student, which is one of the better features of this route: your case belongs to one person for the whole course of treatment. The supervising faculty member may change from session to session, and the practice varies by school.
Can children be seen?
It depends on whether the school runs a pediatric clinic, and this one has not published an answer we can confirm. Minimum ages vary widely and pediatric clinics keep their own waiting lists. Ask specifically rather than assuming a school treating adults also treats children.
What if something goes wrong with the work later?
Schools generally stand behind treatment in the same way a practice does, and problems are reviewed by faculty. What differs is continuity: the student who treated you may have graduated. Ask what the policy is for remakes and repairs, and keep your treatment paperwork.
How is this different from a community health center?
A health center discounts by your household income and can usually see you sooner; a school discounts by using students and takes longer. If your income is low, the health center is often cheaper as well as faster. If you need a large amount of work and can wait, the school frequently wins on total cost. community health centers in Arkansas are listed here too.
Can I ask for a different student?
Usually not in the way you would change dentist at a private practice. Assignment depends on which students need your kind of case and who has capacity. You can raise a concern with the supervising faculty member, who is responsible for the treatment regardless of who is holding the instruments.
Accreditation
Status: Initial Accreditation, next reviewed in 2026. Accreditation covers the teaching — curriculum, facilities and faculty — not whether a public clinic is open, what it charges, or how long the wait is.
Other Low-Cost Options in Arkansas
- Community health center dental clinics in Arkansas — fees scale to what you earn, and being uninsured is the ordinary case rather than an obstacle. Generally quicker to get into than a school.
- Dental hygiene programs in Arkansas — the cheapest cleanings available anywhere, with the hard limit that a hygienist cannot treat decay.
- Free and charitable dental care in Arkansas — genuinely free where you qualify, but the criteria are narrow and waiting lists close without notice.
- Arkansas state oral health program — the health department office that funds sealant programs and safety-net dental services in the state, and a useful place to ask about county-level help.
- How dental school clinics work — a general guide to screening, fees, and what to expect across the country.
Other Dental Schools Nearby
- A.T. Still University Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health — Mesa, AZ
- Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine — Boston, MA
- California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine — Elk Grove, CA
- Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine — Cleveland, OH
- Columbia University College of Dental Medicine — New York, NY