University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine

University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine is a dental school in Farmington, CT 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.

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?
• How far ahead are they booking, and is there a cancellation list worth joining?
• Would your case go to the student clinic or a graduate clinic, and what is the price difference between them?
• Does the school run an emergency or walk-in session, and who is eligible for it?

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.

Common Questions

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2030. That is a judgment on the education, not on the clinic: it says nothing about opening hours, prices or whether anyone is being taken on.

Other Low-Cost Options in Connecticut

• Community health center dental clinics in Connecticut — the income-based route. No screening visit to pass, and appointments are usually weeks rather than months away.
• Dental hygiene programs in Connecticut — good for cleanings and gum treatment, easier to book than a dental school, and unable to help with anything a dentist has to do.
• Free and charitable dental care in Connecticut — genuinely free where you qualify, but the criteria are narrow and waiting lists close without notice.
• Connecticut 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.