A New Patient's First Visit to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

Last year, readers of this column learned how to become patients at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Tufts' dental clinic is the largest dental group practice in New England. The Pre-doctoral Clinics offer most of the services of general and specialty dental offices including periodontal (gum) treatments, simple aesthetic treatments (tooth colored fillings, bleaching, veneers, and crowns), dentures, dental implant treatment, root canal treatment and pediatric (children's) dentistry. Anyone may call to set up a screening appointment by calling (617) 636-6828.

Treatment at Tufts' dental clinic is not free. Fees are set to be about a third to half what a local dentist charges. Tufts accepts MassHealth (Medicaid), and Delta Dental insurance. Other insurance may reimburse payments made to the school. There is no charge for the screening examination, but the student will ask for the new patient to pay for the x-ray examination.

There are several clinics at the dental school. The largest and busiest is the undergraduate clinic. This is where students become dentists. Most new patients enter the school through this venue. A dental school clinic is a learning environment. Treatment at the Tufts Pre-doctoral Clinics will differ from treatment in a private office in many ways.

The students who staff the undergraduate clinic are college graduates are at least half way through their dental school education. They have studied medical sciences including anatomy and physiology (how the human body works), and pharmacology (medications). Dental students study dental subjects such as dental anatomy (the shape of teeth), prosthetics (crowns, bridges and dentures), periodontics (the diagnosis and treatment of gum disease), and dental materials. Some students are dentists from other countries who attend Tufts for an abbreviated, two and a half year course, in which they earn their Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).