Portland, ME Dentists | 106 Ranked

Portland dental choices start with how you'll pay

Portland has self-pay memberships, income-based fee reviews and MaineCare dental care. Each pays for care in its own way. A membership sets out included visits and discounts. An income-based fee review considers your household finances, while MaineCare follows its covered-service rules.

Brighton Avenue, Forest Avenue and Stevens Avenue give you choices beyond the peninsula. Addresses along Congress Street, Commercial Street and Marginal Way add other places to compare in Portland's dental market. The trip matters when treatment needs several visits. A low joining fee alone won't tell you what a filling or new tooth will cost.

MaineCare pays for more than tooth removal in Portland

The adult MaineCare benefit can cover care that saves teeth as well as dentures. It pays for checkups, X-rays and cleaning, plus fillings or crowns to repair teeth. A MaineCare treatment plan can also cover a root canal, diseased gums or a removable denture. The rules for your proposed work still apply.

For help finding a dentist who takes MaineCare, call Member Services at 800-977-6740, with 711 relay. Confirm the dentist and address when booking. The office should explain any approval needed and what you would pay before work starts.

Children and young adults under 21 have VitalCare for Kids. It can cover needed care beyond the usual limits. The child's needs guide that review for dental treatment. The dentist submits the reason for the care.

A Portland yearly membership starts at $549 at Thrive

Thrive Dental Studio posts an annual dental plan at $549, plus $50 for gum-care patients. With Thrive's fee, you get 2 yearly visits for exams, cleanings and fluoride. A full X-ray set and bitewings are included too. Other treatment gets a 15% discount.

The joining fee covers the named visits. Extra work still has a bill, reduced by the plan's discount. Add that bill to the yearly fee to see the cost of your fillings or crown. The discount rate alone can't tell you the final price.

Sanborn Street's monthly plans have an exam exclusion

Portland North Dental's adult preventive plan costs $35 a month. Gum-care plans cost $56 for 3 visits per year or $68 for 4. A child age 13 or younger has a $38 monthly plan with 2 cleaning visits. The office charges a nonrefundable setup fee of $55 per person or $95 per family.

Up to 2 routine exams are included, but the new-patient full exam and emergency exams are excluded. The first visit can therefore add a charge.

An implant placed in bone and its crown have separate discounts for implant treatment. Those are savings from usual fees, not a full replacement price.

Park Avenue's sliding-fee review uses household income

Community Dental requires household and family income proof for its reduced-fee review. That paperwork goes with the patient intake form. A reduced fee depends on that review; care should not be described as free for everyone.

The Portland center is at 190 Park Avenue and has off-street parking. Its phone is 207-874-1028.

• Monday-Thursday hours: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Friday hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Park Avenue offers general dental care, with referrals for some work. A child's checkup and an adult's complex tooth repair can need different next steps. The clinic can explain what care happens there. Some work needs a visit to another office.

Stevens Avenue teaching care takes a longer visit

UNE's Oral Health Center describes visits of about 3 hours and fees generally 30%-50% below private practices. Licensed dentists oversee students' work. Its ongoing-care model does not take referrals just for a single crown, implant or wisdom tooth procedure. For just one of those services, look for a dentist who offers that care.

The clinic is at 750 Stevens Avenue; mail goes to 716 Stevens. Call 207-221-4747. It takes MaineCare and Northeast Delta Dental. Patients with other plans pay the fee and send the itemized bill to their insurer.

Payment is due when the work is done. The center offers no sliding-fee scale or payment plan. With root canal care or several repairs, plan for the time off and the amount due at each visit.

A hygiene visit at 716 Stevens has a different purpose

UNE's Dental Hygiene Clinic takes public patients of all ages without an income restriction. It works by appointment during September-April. The clinic is in the Coleman Dental Hygiene building at 716 Stevens Avenue. Its appointment number is 207-221-4900.

Services focus on keeping teeth healthy, with cleaning, X-rays, fluoride and sealants. MaineCare is the plan it takes; other patients can get forms for their insurer. A hygiene visit won't replace care for a broken tooth. The type of cleaning needed for gum care affects visits and cost.

Urgent intake on Stevens Avenue can take half a day

UNE's urgent clinic sees walk-in patients on a first-come basis Monday-Thursday. Morning check-in begins at 7:30; afternoon check-in begins at 12:30. Plan for up to half a day. The clinic evaluates urgent problems, with treatment, referral or a return visit decided after assessment.

Routine cleanings and repairs to dentures, bridges, caps or implant teeth are outside that urgent service. Academic breaks and closures also affect access. For urgent tooth pain in Maine, the needed repair determines which dental office can help.

MaineHealth calls for urgent medical help with breathing or swallowing trouble, heavy bleeding that won't stop or major face injuries. Call 911 if a life is in danger. Don't wait to work out a dental plan's exam benefit in that crisis.

Getting off the peninsula for repeated dental visits

ZIP code 04102 has 41 dental offices on this page, and 04103 has 42. Brighton and Congress add choices west of the peninsula, while Forest, Stevens and North Deering reach farther north. Compare the full trip when a care plan needs repeat visits. The starting point for your trip can change which office is closest.

Metro's local base fare is $2.25. DiriGo's local full-fare cap is $6.50 per day or $65 per month. Cash riders need exact change and pay again when transferring; cash fares have no cap. For a patient changing buses to reach treatment, the payment method affects the trip's cost.