Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine is a dental school in Newark, NJ 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.

What This School Publishes for Patients

On fees, the school publishes $110 for an emergency consultation. Treatment beyond that is charged separately, so ask for the total before work begins.

This school states that it does not operate a sliding fee scale or provide free care. Its prices are reduced against private practice, but they are not adjusted to your income, so if you cannot pay a fixed fee a community health center is the better route.

Some insurance is accepted here. Plans and public programs change from year to year, so confirm yours by name rather than asking whether insurance is taken in general.

The school lists a patient line on (973) 972-5303. That changes between academic terms, so check again shortly before you travel.

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?
• Does the quoted fee include laboratory work for crowns or dentures, which is often billed on top?
• What is the policy if you have to cancel or cannot make an appointment?
• Are evening or Saturday appointments available, or is it weekdays only?
• How far ahead are they booking, and is there a cancellation list worth joining?

Common Questions

Accreditation

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

• Community health center dental clinics in New Jersey — federally funded clinics that discount fees by household income and see patients insured or not. Usually the fastest route for routine care.
• Dental hygiene programs in New Jersey — preventive work only, and cheap. Useful if a cleaning is what you actually need; useless for a cavity.
• Free and charitable dental care in New Jersey — genuinely free where you qualify, but the criteria are narrow and waiting lists close without notice.
• New Jersey 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.