Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine

Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine is a dental school in Stony Brook, NY 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. New York has 6 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the New York page.

Common Questions

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?
• 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 X-rays from your own dentist accepted, and how recent do they have to be?
• What is the policy if you have to cancel or cannot make an appointment?
• Where is the patient entrance, and what should you bring — identification, proof of income, previous X-rays?

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2028. It reviews the program every few years against a national standard for teaching. Patient access, fees and waiting times are outside what it looks at.

Other Accredited Dental Schools in New York

New York has 6 accredited dental schools altogether. If this one is full or the wait is too long, the others are separate institutions with separate lists:

• University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine — Buffalo
• Touro College of Dental Medicine — Hawthorne
• Columbia University College of Dental Medicine — New York
• New York University College of Dentistry — New York
• Yeshiva University College of Dental Medicine — New York

Other Low-Cost Options in New York

• Community health center dental clinics in New York — priced against your household income rather than by using students, which makes them the better option if your income is low and your need is routine.
• Dental hygiene programs in New York — teaching clinics for cleanings, X-rays, sealants and gum treatment at low cost. They do not do fillings or extractions.
• Free and charitable dental care in New York — genuinely free where you qualify, but the criteria are narrow and waiting lists close without notice.
• How dental school clinics work — a general guide to screening, fees, and what to expect across the country.