Where can I find good and affordable dental care in the Boston area?

October 7, 2011 7:40 AM

Where can I find good and affordable dental care in the Boston area?

Asking for a friend, who is in Cambridge. She's just started a new part-time job and doesn't think her health insurance covers dental work. One of her fillings popped out and she needs to have it fixed. Do you have a recommendation for good and affordable dental care?

posted by msbrauer to health & fitness (7 answers total)

She should check out one of the dental schools -- BU, Tufts, Harvard, etc.
posted by zizzle at 8:21 AM on October 7, 2011

Has she looked into the Tufts Dental Clinics (in Chinatown/NEMed area)?
They have two layers of care: "...dental students provide services under the close supervision of experienced faculty dentists," and "dentists who have completed dental school and are receiving 1-2 additional years of training in advanced general dentistry provide treatment under the supervision of faculty dentists."
posted by cocoagirl at 8:25 AM on October 7, 2011

Tufts Dental School in Chinatown. Seriously.

I had 3 implants done there this past year, and couldn't be happier. Total cost was about half of a private dentist. And don't be scared about the students working on you. Every step of the way, their dental school professors are there to advise them, and check their work. I highly recommend Tufts.
posted by santaliqueur at 8:40 AM on October 7, 2011

Thirding Tufts. Had some fillings and a cleaning done there a few years back and they did a very good job for low cost. It's accessible, too, since it's on the Orange Line. The only downside is that it can take quite a long time (2-3 hours) for a routine appointment, precisely because of the scrutiny of the students' work, so, make sure she's aware of the need to budget the time.
posted by Kosh at 9:08 AM on October 7, 2011

I would go to Harvard Dental School on Longwood Ave. I've been to Tufts and had a much better experience at Harvard. They just seemed to be more knowledgeable and able to communicate things better with me. But I guess YMMV.

You get assigned to a student so maybe go for a checkup at both places and see where you feel more comfortable.
posted by eatcake at 10:14 AM on October 7, 2011

Another Tufts recommendation. I had a bunch of stuff done there a few years ago, awesome care!
posted by mareli at 4:27 PM on October 7, 2011

I did the BU dental school for a year. It was great, I had a student who seemed to know her stuff. The only time that a teacher had to come in was when she was confused by my upper secondary molars...and the fact that I have no lower secondary molars. I think she brought her teacher in more because I was an oddity than anything else.
posted by aloiv2 at 5:33 PM on October 7, 2011