Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine is an accredited dental school in Alton, IL. 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. Illinois has 3 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Illinois page.

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?
• How far ahead are they booking, and is there a cancellation list worth joining?
• Are X-rays from your own dentist accepted, and how recent do they have to be?
• Does the school run an emergency or walk-in session, and who is eligible for it?

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 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:

• University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry — Chicago
• Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine- Illinois — Downers Grove

Common Questions

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2027. 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 Illinois

• Community health center dental clinics in Illinois — the income-based route. No screening visit to pass, and appointments are usually weeks rather than months away.
• Dental hygiene programs in Illinois — 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 Illinois — volunteer and donated-care programs, normally with eligibility rules and limited capacity.
• How dental school clinics work — a general guide to screening, fees, and what to expect across the country.