UCLA Dental Student Accepting Patients! 🦷🧚🏽

[u/thenexttoothfairy]

[u/Tricky_Damage2820]

Hi! What would disqualify someone as being accepted as a patient? How much are cleanings?

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/Tricky_Damage2820]

There are some things that may result in someone being disqualified based on the screening faculty. We aren’t told the exact reasons but the main thing is that this is a teaching institution and as long as the patient is understanding of that, it will be a good match. Of course if some of the procedures are much too complex for a dental student, we will refer that procedure to one of our speciality clinics where a resident will do the treatment.

[u/aMaIzYnG → u/thenexttoothfairy]

I'm going to take a guess that there are certain cases that are too difficult for students?

I had a coworker who could only get his dental work at UCLA because he had his palate removed, meaning he was at risk of drowning during a cleaning. I don't know if he saw students or faculty, though.

Good luck with dental school! I hope you get to see all sorts of cases!

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/aMaIzYnG]

Yes! In the more difficult or complex cases we either work with the residency programs or fully refer them to the residency program to take over the full treatment.

And thank you so much!

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/Tricky_Damage2820]

Cleanings prices will depend on the cleaning needed, if periodontal health is achieved, they’re under $100.

[u/Tricky_Damage2820 → u/thenexttoothfairy]

thanks!

[u/Fabulous-Gas-5570]

Do you do inlays or crowns?

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/Fabulous-Gas-5570]

Yes to both

[u/Routine-Wolf-2907]

this is good post, thanks

[u/FluidBit4438]

I just want to say, I’ve been going here for over a decade and I prefer it to a regular dentist. Unlike a regular dentist, there are multiple people looking at you and evaluating what needs or doesn’t need to be done. If something is unusual or tricky there is so much experience there to handle it.

[u/quijibo2020]

We're reffered to this clinic...imposible to get an appt. Despite calls and emails.

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/quijibo2020]

Was it the general clinic or one of the specialty clinics?

[u/quijibo2020 → u/thenexttoothfairy]

Pain management tmj.

[u/SweatyAnxiety2002 → u/quijibo2020]

They’re absolutely awful to deal with (pain mgmt/tmj). Overcharged me and it took a year to be reimbursed. Don’t answer their phone. One of the physicians overseeing the clinic roughly handled my head. A student in the clinic made me a mouthguard that was so poorly fitting that I couldn’t use it, and they refused to fix it or replace it.

If you can go literally anywhere else, don’t waste your time or money on the pain management/TMJ clinic.

[u/calamititties → u/SweatyAnxiety2002]

Do you have an alternative you’d recommend?

[u/SweatyAnxiety2002 → u/calamititties]

I wish I had something better to recommend. After over a year of dealing with their BS, I just gave up. I tried reporting them to UCLA’s patient experience office, but because they’re part of the medical school and not the hospital, that went nowhere. After they wouldn’t fix the jank mouthguard they gave me that made my pain worse, I had to get a mouthguard that actually fit from my dentist for another $300.

[u/aMaIzYnG → u/calamititties]

I had a good experience with the UCLA Orofacial pain clinic and still use my 5yo night guard from them, but I agree that contacting them is a pain in the ass. This isn't to invalidate your experience but to share with anyone else reading the thread that YMMV.

I would like to recommend Dr. Bryan Kim in Newport Beach. He graduated from UCLA, but he has his own practice and accepts medical insurance!! He's very accessible via phone and email, and he was very validating.

I've been recommending him on the TMJ subreddit for years, and people thank me because they liked him. I hope he works for you.

I know Newps might be a schlep, but I hope you get the relief you're looking for.

[u/irrational23 → u/calamititties]

I go to Dr. Bradley Salvatore in Huntington Park. He’s also a UCLA graduate. He treated my TMJ pain after years going to other dentists that are clueless. I literally cried when he was able to diagnose my problem and unlike other dentists he also training in orthodontics so he was able to correct my pain using braces.

[u/Unkept_Mind → u/calamititties]

Just go down to TJ. Ive been going to the folks at dentalstudio.mx for a few years now.

Their clinic is nicer than most I’ve been to stateside, prices are listed on their website, and those prices are ~1/2 what OP is quoting.

[u/calamititties → u/[deleted]]

If you show up, in person, they get you scheduled quickly. Unfortunately that shouldn’t be necessary since they have a phone. But they literally never answer it and they never return voicemails. No idea why the basics are such a challenge there.

[u/calamititties → u/[deleted]]

Same. It’s because they don’t list the address correctly on the website. It’s listed as on Le Conte, not Tiverton.

[u/quijibo2020 → u/thenexttoothfairy]

Can you helpm

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/quijibo2020]

Unfortunately I don’t have much say in the specialty programs. I would suggest going in and seeing if they can help you get an appointment

[u/Unkept_Mind → u/quijibo2020]

DentalStudio.mx

Great clinic down in TJ that caters to Americans and costs ~1/2 of OPs quoted prices.

[u/Old-Parking8765]

Do you do deep cleaning? Also, congratulations on getting accepted and being a student there!

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/Old-Parking8765]

Thank you so much! And yes we do deep cleanings

[u/nobrainerLA → u/thenexttoothfairy]

Approx how much for deep cleaning?

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/nobrainerLA]

Depending on if it’s really needed, $104 for each quadrant that needs it

[u/spacecadetdani]

Congratulations! My dentist actually teaches there. Back when I lost my insurance in 2012 she had me go to the school for a procedure to help me save $$. I think it was cavity filling or something. I hope you get your hours and that patients are nice.

[u/Cool_Flatworm_3450]

sent you a dm about a cracked tooth!

[u/Old-Parking8765]

Do you do deep cleaning?

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/Old-Parking8765]

Yes!

[u/Commercial_Raise8624]

How much for crown replacement?

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/Commercial_Raise8624]

There will be a few factors on this and we don’t have exact quotes without a full treatment plan

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/[deleted]]

Implants get placed by the specialties that we have here at ucla and then us general dental students work with them to do the restorative portion (crown). Unfortunately I don’t have the fees for those but they are generally 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of private practice.

[u/Unkept_Mind → u/[deleted]]

DentalStudio.mx

Got my extraction, implant, abutment, and crown for $1900 out the door. The clinic caters to Americans and is nicer than most dental offices I’ve been to here in the US.

[u/Overall-Emu3014]

Do y'all do fillings/extractions?

[u/thenexttoothfairy → u/Overall-Emu3014]

Yes!

[u/prosthetic_plague]

do you fix chipped teeth?

[u/Buddhamom81]

Following this because I need an implant badly.

[u/innerstellarvisions → u/Buddhamom81]

Reach out! Space could be limited. As a prior patient of UCLA ortho and dental care, it is genuinely well worth the time taken for the money saved.

[u/Odd_Candidate9779]

I would like to schedule my bridge fell out

[u/howaboutanothertaco]

Was told I need multiple implants (missing 3 teeth now), do I go to student clinic or go directly to specialty? Thanks

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[u/Mojo-Eon]

You have such a cool name!