Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine

Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine is a dental school in Fort Lauderdale, FL 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. Florida has 4 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Florida page.

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?
• Which number reaches the patient clinic rather than the main switchboard?
• Where is the patient entrance, and what should you bring — identification, proof of income, previous X-rays?
• Does the school run an emergency or walk-in session, and who is eligible for it?
• Are X-rays from your own dentist accepted, and how recent do they have to be?

Common Questions

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2029. 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 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:

• LECOM School of Dental Medicine — Bradenton
• University of Florida College of Dentistry — Gainesville
• Larkin University School of Dental Medicine — Miami

Other Low-Cost Options in Florida

• Community health center dental clinics in Florida — 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 Florida — the cheapest cleanings available anywhere, with the hard limit that a hygienist cannot treat decay.
• Free and charitable dental care in Florida — genuinely free where you qualify, but the criteria are narrow and waiting lists close without notice.
• Florida 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.