Before Your Visit

What to expect as a patient at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine

New patient? Call 617-358-8310 to schedule an appointment

Existing patient? Call your treatment center directly to schedule an appointment:

If you are a patient of the BU Dental Health Center, please click here for more information on how to make an appointment.


Your First Appointment

Your first appointment will be a three-hour appointment during which a student dentist, under the supervision of faculty, will complete a thorough dental examination to determine your specific needs. In addition to this examination, we will also take X-rays and possibly take models of your teeth. The provider will collect your medical history.

If time allows, we will give you a complete treatment plan at this first appointment. Otherwise, the plan will be completed at the next visit along with a cleaning. Once a plan is agreed to, we can schedule an appointment to begin treatment.

You can expect this appointment to last about three hours. 

A few things you can do to streamline this first appointment:

  • Review the Patient Guide in advance;
  • Submit recent X-rays (radiographs) ahead of time by emailing them to dentrad@bu.edu; and
  • Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to do any outstanding paperwork

    At the conclusion of your first appointment, you will be assigned to a student dentist, and a patient coordinator will schedule your next appointment.


    Subsequent Appointments

    You can expect all follow-up appointments to last three hours, and it’s important that you are available for the entire three-hour appointment window. At the end of each appointment, you will be able to schedule your next appointment directly with your student provider. Evening and Saturday appointments are available.

    As dental care providers, we want you to enjoy a healthy smile, and are committed to delivering you superior dental care. This requires effective communication between and equal commitment from the patient, the dental student/resident, and the supervising faculty. 

    Here’s what you can do to help us get you great results:

    • Commit to completing the treatment plan.
    • Attend all scheduled appointments – and arrive on time!
    • Pay all required fees in a timely manner (and payment for out-of-pocket costs is required at the time of service).

       


      Cost of treatment

      All of our procedures are offered at very competitive fees, as you are helping our students and residents gain the necessary expertise they will need to become effective dentists and specialists. We also believe that offering dental care at a reasonable fee will encourage better dental hygiene throughout our communities.

      As your treatment plan is determined, the cost of the procedures will be discussed with you in advance by the student/resident and their supervising faculty member. If you have questions about the costs of your treatment plan, what is covered by your insurance plan(s), and what the out-of-pocket costs will be, you can always contact our Patient Financial Services department at 617-358-3900.

      Accepted in-network insurances include:

      • Delta Dental PPO/Premier
      • Blue Cross Blue Shield
      • MassHealth
      • Commonwealth Care Alliance
      • Tufts Health Plan Senior Care Option (HMO SNP)
      • Tufts Health Unify
      • Senior Whole Health
      • Wellsense Senior Care Option (HMO SNP) — formally known as BMC HealthNet Plan Senior Care Option
      • eternalHealth
      • MassAdvantage