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Accredited dental school

Universidad Ana G. Mendez - Gurabo, School of Dental Medicine

Carr. 189 km 3.3, Gurabo, PR 00778

School website Health centers in Puerto Rico

Universidad Ana G. Mendez - Gurabo, School of Dental Medicine is a dental school in Gurabo, PR 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. Puerto Rico has 3 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico 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

Do they treat patients with complex medical conditions?

It depends on the condition and the school. Some cases need clearance from your physician first, and a few are referred to a hospital dental service instead. Bring a current medication list and your physician’s details to screening; it is the most common reason a first appointment has to be repeated.

Can I pay in instalments?

Payment is often expected at each visit rather than at the end, which spreads the cost in practice even where there is no formal plan. Formal payment plans are less common at schools than at private practices. Third-party dental finance is sometimes accepted; ask before assuming it.

Can I ask for a different student?

Usually not in the way you would change dentist at a private practice. Assignment depends on which students need your kind of case and who has capacity. You can raise a concern with the supervising faculty member, who is responsible for the treatment regardless of who is holding the instruments.

What if something goes wrong with the work later?

Schools generally stand behind treatment in the same way a practice does, and problems are reviewed by faculty. What differs is continuity: the student who treated you may have graduated. Ask what the policy is for remakes and repairs, and keep your treatment paperwork.

Will I see the same person at every visit?

Usually yes for the student, which is one of the better features of this route: your case belongs to one person for the whole course of treatment. The supervising faculty member may change from session to session, and the practice varies by school.

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.

Accreditation

Status: Initial Accreditation, 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.

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