Accredited dental school
Medical University of South Carolina James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine
173 Ashley Ave. MSC 507, PO Box 250507, Charleston, SC 29425-5070
Medical University of South Carolina James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine is a dental school in Charleston, SC 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 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?
- Which number reaches the patient clinic rather than the main switchboard?
- Where is the patient entrance, and what should you bring — identification, proof of income, previous X-rays?
- How far ahead are they booking, and is there a cancellation list worth joining?
- Would your case go to the student clinic or a graduate clinic, and what is the price difference between them?
Common Questions
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.
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.
I have a bad toothache. Should I come here?
Probably not as a first move. Screening and waiting lists make schools a poor route for urgent pain, though some run an emergency session worth one phone call. Anything you think might be an emergency needs an emergency room the same day rather than a teaching clinic. Our emergency dental page covers what lies in between.
Is treatment free?
Usually not. Teaching clinics charge, and are best understood as substantially discounted rather than free. The lowest band is a reduced fee, not nothing. If you cannot pay anything at all, free and charitable dental care in South Carolina is the closer fit.
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.
What if the school cannot take me?
A common outcome and not the end of the search. Federally funded health centers in Charleston, SC charge on a sliding scale by household income and can usually see you sooner. Dental hygiene programs handle cleanings and preventive work cheaply. Both are linked further down this page.
Accreditation
Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2032. Accreditation covers the teaching — curriculum, facilities and faculty — not whether a public clinic is open, what it charges, or how long the wait is.
Other Low-Cost Options in South Carolina
- Community health center dental clinics in South Carolina — fees scale to what you earn, and being uninsured is the ordinary case rather than an obstacle. Generally quicker to get into than a school.
- Dental hygiene programs in South Carolina — the cheapest cleanings available anywhere, with the hard limit that a hygienist cannot treat decay.
- Free and charitable dental care in South Carolina — 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.
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