Accredited dental school
University of Mississippi School of Dentistry
Medical Center;, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216-4505
University of Mississippi School of Dentistry is a dental school in Jackson, MS 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.
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?
- How far ahead are they booking, and is there a cancellation list worth joining?
- Are evening or Saturday appointments available, or is it weekdays only?
- What is the policy if you have to cancel or cannot make an appointment?
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.
Common Questions
Can I come just for a cleaning?
Sometimes, but not always at the dental school. Several schools route simple preventive work to the dental hygiene program instead, where it is cheaper and quicker to get an appointment. If a cleaning is all you need, ask about that route first.
Do they do braces or orthodontics?
Many schools run a graduate orthodontics clinic, and treatment there costs substantially less than private orthodontics — but waiting lists are long and the clinics are selective, because residents need particular kinds of case. Adults are treated as well as children at most of them.
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.
Do I have to come during working hours?
Mostly yes. Teaching clinics run on the academic timetable, which means weekday daytime sessions and long appointments. A few schools hold evening or Saturday sessions. If you cannot take weekday time off repeatedly, this route is harder than it looks on paper.
Will a student be doing the work?
In the student clinic, yes, supervised by a licensed faculty dentist who checks the treatment at each stage and signs it off. In graduate and specialty clinics the work is done by a qualified dentist training in that field. Ask which clinic you would be assigned to, because it changes both the price and the wait.
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 2032. 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 Mississippi
- Community health center dental clinics in Mississippi — the income-based route. No screening visit to pass, and appointments are usually weeks rather than months away.
- Dental hygiene programs in Mississippi — 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 Mississippi — genuinely free where you qualify, but the criteria are narrow and waiting lists close without notice.
- Mississippi 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.
Other Dental Schools Nearby
- A.T. Still University Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health — Mesa, AZ
- Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine — Boston, MA
- California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine — Elk Grove, CA
- Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine — Cleveland, OH
- Columbia University College of Dental Medicine — New York, NY