Accredited dental school

University of Utah School of Dentistry

530 South Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108

University of Utah School of Dentistry is a dental school in Salt Lake City, UT 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. Utah has 2 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Utah page.

What This School Publishes for Patients

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 801-587-6453 and clinic hours on its patient pages. Both change between academic terms, so check again shortly before you travel.

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?
  • If the school cannot treat part of your case, where does it refer that work?
  • 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?

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 Utah

There is one other accredited dental school in Utah, which is worth knowing about if this one has a long wait or cannot take your case:

Common Questions

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.

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.

I am nervous about being treated by a student.

Worth knowing that the work is checked more thoroughly here than almost anywhere else, because it is being graded as well as treated. What you trade is time, not care. If it helps, ask whether a graduate clinic could take your case instead — you pay more, but the treatment is done by a qualified dentist.

What if the school cannot take me?

A common outcome and not the end of the search. Federally funded health centers in Salt Lake City, UT 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.

Is sedation available if I am anxious?

Availability varies and it is rarely included in the quoted fee. Some schools offer nitrous oxide in the student clinic and deeper sedation only in a graduate clinic or through the hospital. If anxiety is the reason you have avoided treatment, say so at screening rather than on the day.

Which insurance plans are accepted?

The school says it accepts some insurance, but plans and public programs change from year to year. Call with the plan name printed on your card rather than asking whether insurance is taken in general. Adult dental coverage under Utah Medicaid is decided at state level; our Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.

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.

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