US Dental Help Find Care Near You

Accredited dental school

University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry

801 South Paulina Street, Suite # 102, Chicago, IL 60612

School website Health centers in Illinois

University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry is a dental school in Chicago, IL 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. Illinois has 3 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Illinois 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.

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:

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?
  • What is the policy if you have to cancel or cannot make an appointment?
  • Are X-rays from your own dentist accepted, and how recent do they have to be?
  • If the school cannot treat part of your case, where does it refer that work?

Common Questions

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 Illinois are listed here too.

Do I need a referral from another dentist?

Generally not for the general student clinic, which you can approach directly. Some graduate specialty clinics do want a referral, particularly endodontics and oral surgery, because they take the harder cases. Ask when you call which route applies to the treatment you need.

How is this different from a dental hygiene clinic?

A hygiene clinic is staffed by hygiene students and does preventive work only — cleanings, X-rays, sealants, gum treatment. It cannot fill a cavity or pull a tooth. For preventive care it is cheaper and easier to book; for anything else you need the dental school or a dentist.

Can I bring X-rays from my own dentist?

Often yes, if they are recent — within about a year is the usual limit — and complete. It can save you both a fee and a visit, so it is worth asking before you pay for new ones. Your previous dentist has to release them to you or to the school, which takes a few days.

What should I bring to the first appointment?

Photo identification, your insurance or Medicaid card if you have one, a list of your current medications, and any recent X-rays or records from a previous dentist. Some schools also ask for proof of income. Allow far more time than the appointment length suggests.

What if I need a specialist the school does not have?

You would be referred out, and that referral is usually to a private specialist at full price. This is the single most common way a dental school plan falls apart, so ask at screening which parts of your treatment the school can do itself and which it cannot.

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2028. 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 Illinois

Other Dental Schools Nearby