Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine- Illinois

Based in Downers Grove, IL, Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine- Illinois is an accredited dental school. Schools like this one train dentists, and much of that training happens by treating members of the public in supervised clinics on campus.

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. Illinois has 3 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Illinois page.

What This School Publishes for Patients

This school screens new patients before taking them on. Being screened is not the same as being accepted: the school is deciding whether your case suits its students and its teaching schedule.

The school lists a patient line on 630-743-4500 and clinic hours on its patient pages. Both change between academic terms, so check again shortly before you travel.

What a Teaching Clinic Is Like

Which clinic you are placed in decides what you pay. Student clinics take general work at the lowest fee, specialty clinics handle root canals and dentures for more, and the faculty practice is close to ordinary private pricing.

Expect a screening visit first, which decides whether your case suits the students and the teaching schedule rather than simply booking you in. Expect appointments of two to three hours as well, since the work is reviewed at each stage, and expect the clinic to slow down or close between terms.

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

Patient clinics usually run separately from the school office, on their own line and sometimes at their own address. A few minutes on the phone saves a wasted journey.

• Is the clinic open to the public right now, and taking new patients?
• What does the screening appointment cost, and how long is the wait for 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

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2030. 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 Illinois

Illinois has 3 accredited dental schools altogether. If this one is full or the wait is too long, the others are separate institutions with separate lists:

• Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine — Alton
• University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry — Chicago

Other Low-Cost Options in Illinois

• Community health center dental clinics in Illinois — 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 Illinois — the cheapest cleanings available anywhere, with the hard limit that a hygienist cannot treat decay.
• Free and charitable dental care in Illinois — the only route that costs nothing, and the hardest to get onto. Worth checking the current application status before applying.
• How dental school clinics work — a general guide to screening, fees, and what to expect across the country.