Where to save

Dollars & Sense visited six dental schools to extract ways for uninsured, low-income, unemployed or retired Twin Cities area residents to save.

April 1, 2010 at 8:35PM

DENTAL ASSISTANT/HYGIENIST SCHOOLS

Argosy University dental hygiene clinic (1515 Central Pkwy., 3rd floor, Eagan, 651-846-3381)

Prices: Adult cleaning $36, child cleaning $15, full mouth X-rays $40, bitewing X-rays $20, root planing $40 per quadrant, sealants $10 per tooth, fluoride treatment $10 and custom-made teeth whitening trays $200.

Hennepin Technical College dental assistant program (9000 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park, 763-488-2569, and 13100 College View Dr., Eden Prairie, 952-995-1633)

Prices: Polishing and fluoride $15, full mouth X-rays $10, four bitewings $4, and sealants $5 per tooth.

Herzing University dental hygiene clinic (5700 W. Broadway, Crystal, 763-231-3174)

Prices: Adult cleaning and polishing $25, child cleaning and polishing $15, scaling/root planing $25 per quadrant, periodontal maintenance $30, sealants $5 per tooth, two to four bitewing X-rays $5 to $10, full mouth X-rays $25, panoramic films $25, child's X-rays $5, whitening with Crest professional strips and cleaning $75.

Century College dental hygiene program (3300 Century Av. N., White Bear Lake, 651-779-5787)

Prices: The program charges for a treatment plan rather than by the service. Patients younger than 18 years and older than 62 are charged $24 for a treatment plan. If several appointments are needed, the fee is the same for one or multiple appointments. For ages 18-62, it's $48. Services available include X-rays, cleaning, scaling and root planing, sealants, fluoride treatment and desensitizing treatment. Teeth whitening with professional strength Crest Whitestrips ($43) is extra.

Normandale Community College dental hygiene clinic (9700 France Av. S., Bloomington, 952-487-7020)

Prices: Adult cleaning $30, child cleaning $20, full mouth X-rays $34, bitewings $20, sealants $10 per tooth, free fluoride treatments, deep root planing $30 (full mouth), and Crest professional strength Whitestrips $35. Next year, some of Normandale's students will be able to offer restorative services (fillings) because of a new master's program in conjunction with Metropolitan State University.

DENTAL SCHOOLS

University of Minnesota School of Dentistry (515 Delaware St. SE., 7th floor, Mpls., 612-625-2495)

Prices: Exam and full mouth X-rays $147, cleaning $47, tooth-colored filling $84 to $213, extraction $92 to $184 (depending on complication of removal), root canal $338 to $543, crown $598, and sealants $34 per tooth.

JOHN EWOLDT

about the writer

about the writer

John Ewoldt

Reporter

John Ewoldt is a business reporter for the Star Tribune. He writes about small and large retailers including supermarkets, restaurants, consumer issues and trends, and personal finance.  

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