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Accredited dental school

LECOM School of Dental Medicine

4800 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, Bradenton, FL 34211

School website Health centers in Florida

LECOM School of Dental Medicine is an accredited dental school in Bradenton, FL. Dentists are trained by treating patients, which is why a dental school is often the cheapest place in a city to have a large amount of work done.

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. Florida has 4 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Florida page.

What This School Publishes for Patients

This school states that it does not operate a sliding fee scale or provide free care. Its prices are reduced against private practice, but they are not adjusted to your income, so if you cannot pay a fixed fee a community health center is the better route.

The school lists clinic hours on its patient pages. That changes between academic terms, so check again shortly before you travel.

What a Teaching Clinic Is Like

Dental schools usually run several clinics rather than one. Students handle routine general dentistry at the lowest fees; residents training in a specialty handle root canals, gum treatment, dentures, and oral surgery for more; faculty practices charge close to private rates.

The trade is time for money. Screening comes first and does not guarantee acceptance; appointments are two to three hours because each stage is checked; and treatment spanning several months has to work around the school 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.

Other Accredited Dental Schools in Florida

Florida has 4 accredited dental schools altogether. If this one is full or the wait is too long, the others are separate institutions with separate lists:

Before You Call

The patient clinic is often a separate operation from the school itself, with its own number and sometimes its own building. Worth a call before you set out.

  • 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?
  • Which number reaches the patient clinic rather than the main switchboard?
  • Does the school run an emergency or walk-in session, and who is eligible for it?
  • 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?

Common Questions

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 Florida 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.

Do they do implants?

Many schools do, usually through a graduate clinic, and usually at a price well below private practice but still well above a denture. Implant components are billed separately from the surgical fee at most schools. Expect a longer assessment before anyone agrees to treat.

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2031. 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 Florida

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