University of Minnesota School of Dentistry — Local services in Minneapolis

This is a second, separate review. A 5-star review I've left before based on being treated by Isabella, a dental student in their final year of study at SOD. But today I had a filling done by a different student as part of a skills exam, and it was the worst dental care experience I have ever had. The student was helped by a very competent and gentle assistant who was able to minimally salvage the whole experience. Tools clanked on my teeth a lot more and they often leveraged their hands around my mouth with too much pressure while using the instruments, for example squishing my lips onto my teeth. Understandably, students are at different stages of their training and by consenting to dental care at SOD you sign up for being part of their education. Skills evaluations can also understandably induce stress on their part.

Today, the appointment also took a long time due to them struggling to place a rubber dam (unnecessary for my filling, and not very compatible with my teeth spacing and mouth size – but needed for whatever skills lab was going on). I also expressed repeatedly my preference for one type of filling versus another, but they needed to be evaluated on the latter type and the explanations they gave for what each would mean for my future treatment plan were not the most satisfying.

Not only does a long (over 3 hours) appointment run up your parking garage charges, but they rushed their work at the end - apparently everybody has somewhere else to be at noon and you can get discharged without the most complete and precise care. Plus, 3 hours of holding your jaw wide open is painful and tiring. Towards the end of the appointment, they were checking the clock frequently. When I mentioned that my bite was still high and uncomfortable - not fully/naturally contacting on the other side of my mouth. The student replied "Are you still numb?" (from the local anesthesia shots), which was unintentionally gaslighty and felt unprofessional. The faculty evaluating the student's work agreed that at least this occlusion aspect of the job was rough and could stand to be improved, but concluded the learning exercise. I left the clinic with an incorrectly adjusted bite/occlusion and shred of the blue rubber dam stuck between my teeth, and no notes/instructions on aftercare, which would be especially crucial in a situation like this (for example - should I be chewing only on one side since the bite is off? will i break this new filling or other teeth around it if I inadvertently chew/clench on it?). The corner of my mouth is bleeding from being stretched and my tongue is raw from whatever clamp/wedge apparatus they wedged in.

My previous many experiences at SOD have been excellent, but this time it sucked and that caught me by surprise. Be prepared to stop your treatment or advocate for what you want/need if you find yourself in a similar circumstance.

I feel sympathy for the student who treated me today; I do not think they were set up for success, and many parts of my bad experience were probably less related to their competency than to the schedule and the set up of skills exercises– This review is not meant to discourage the student dentists; rather I hope it will inform SOD usefully toward their pedagogical practices, AND alert patients looking at their dental care options to the occasional possibility of a worse experience than the excellent ones that SOD has otherwise led...

The University of Minnesota Dentistry School educates our Minnesota and out of state Dentists, Technicians, etc. They're the best there is. The students are 3rd year students and their supervisors are experienced teachers and Dentists themselves. If there's an issue with your teeth, jaws, gums, this is the place that will find it. I've had a precancerous condition called lichen planus found and treated here, even though I had been to Dentists outside regularly who missed this condition in my mouth completely and instead did other things like file my teeth down to alleviate the pain, but it didn't work, because my teeth weren't the problem. The lichen planus in my gums were. It was addressed here by an oral surgeon, and also later by a Dentist who graduated from here, who found more lichen planus in the same area under a cracked tooth he fixed and put a crown on.

I finally have relief from pain and I'm so relieved that they addressed my precancerous condition before it became cancerous.

On another visit, one of the dental students here discovered a cracked tooth under an old filling. Again, I had been to other dentists, where it was not found, even though I mentioned it was a painful area.

Most recently, I had heart arrhythmia before my appointment. I went in to my appointment anyway without taking Diltiazem to ensure it was completely stopped. The student supervisor correctly made the call to call my heart doctor to consult with before any work gets done. Were waiting to hear, so we'll be rescheduling. I was frustrated by the decision, but in all honesty, I know that it was the right call. Now my heart doctor will be aware that I had heart palpations and it's better to be safe than sorry. In addition, the supervisor is teaching his student safety protocols that will be invaluable to them for a lifetime.

In addition, The University of Minnesota Dentistry School works financially with people on fixed incomes and also with some insurance companies. Their prices are nowhere near what Dentists normally charge. They will work with you.

They offer the best Dentistry care you'll ever receive. They teach the students everything they need to know. No shortcuts here. That's one of the reasons they're the best, and it's only one of the many reasons why they're the best.

Just a little shout out to Dr Mahajan, Dr Gella, Abby and Kara! Thank...

Note: I'm reviewing this as a patient, not a student.

The dental school is just about the only place in the city that'll take my insurance. I definitely recommend to anyone on MinnesotaCare or with a tight budget. If you have a broader network or are willing/able to pay out-of-pocket, I'd recommend a more traditional clinic.

A few of the drawbacks: it can take weeks to months to get in for an appointment (although they do have an urgent care clinic for emergencies, and the longest wait for that is 24-48 hours). For non-emergency appointments, they pretty much have two time slots: 9:00am or 1:00pm, so you'll have to make that work with your schedule. Because you're being seen by students, the appointments can take a few hours, but everything is double-checked by instructors so any errors can be corrected. But then sometimes students and instructors will talk about you as though you're not there.

A few advantages: you're helping dental students get valuable experience on real patients, and as mentioned above, it's much cheaper than a traditional clinic. And because they're students, you'll be able to get more cutting-edge treatment options than you might at a traditional clinic. Plus, if you end up having something unusual pop up during your exam, it's more likely you'll be able to get it taken care of same-day.

If you do end up going here, make sure to park in the Washington Ave ramp, because they'll offer to validate your parking when you check in and you'll save $3. Plus if it's cold or rainy, there's a tunnel connecting the ramp...