Raleigh, NC Dentists | 513 Ranked

Holston Lane's teaching clinic starts with a screening

Wake Tech's low-cost Raleigh dental visits on Holston Lane are provided by students, with instructors checking each stage of care.

Wake Tech charges $20 for an adult routine cleaning and $15 for a child. A full-mouth set of X-rays costs $15; fluoride has no charge and sealants cost $2 per tooth. The hygiene clinic is at 2901 Holston Lane, Building B, 2nd floor, phone 919-747-0126.

Screening is free from age 4. Cleanings take 2 to 5 visits, each lasting 3 to 4 hours. Current Wake Tech students get clinic services free with proof of enrollment and student ID. Faculty, staff, military personnel and military dependents receive a 50% discount with the required ID.

Patients with insurance file their own claims. Payment is accepted by card, check or cash in bills of $20 or less.

Long hygiene visits, children and help in the chair

Wake Tech's deep gum cleaning costs $5 per quarter of the mouth, or $20 for all 4 quarters. The student program also checks gum health and provides home-care teaching.

For children under 18, a parent or legal guardian stays for the whole visit. Adults receiving treatment need child care for children who aren't patients. The clinic's screening also reviews posture, chair transfers and other support needs. Some patients can have care upright or with shorter sessions.

Plan on at least a half-day a week until your cleaning is finished. The clinic gives outside referrals for gum treatment and other medical or dental needs beyond its teaching scope.

Wake Smiles uses a partner referral and a per-visit fee

Wake Smiles serves uninsured, low-income Wake County residents referred by a partner agency. It is at 1863 Capital Boulevard in the Salvation Army Center of Hope. The clinic number is 919-390-6497. Its patient terms include a $40 administrative fee at each appointment, paid by credit or debit card.

Patients with Medicaid, Medicare or other health or dental insurance fall outside this program's rules. Participating referral agencies include Alliance Medical Ministry, Mariam Clinic, Neighbor Health and Urban Ministries of Wake County.

The Alliance route serves uninsured Wake County adults in working households. Mariam's route includes income up to 200% of the poverty level. Its applicants must also be unable to qualify for public or private insurance.

Rock Quarry Road has fillings, dentures and income-based fees

Amplify Health, formerly Advance Community Health, provides dental care for adults and children. Its Raleigh dental site is 1011 Rock Quarry Road, phone 919-833-3111.

Dental hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The service includes routine and deep cleanings, fillings, root canals, tooth removal, crowns, bridges and dentures. Amplify offers nitrous oxide (laughing gas).

Amplify's dental discount application calls for the last 30 days of income, photo ID and proof for dependents. Forms come in English and Spanish. You can get dental care there while seeing a doctor elsewhere.

Amplify also offers free help with Medicaid and Marketplace enrollment.

Which Raleigh dentists take NC Medicaid?

North Carolina handles covered dentistry through NC Medicaid Direct. People in a managed health plan still use NC Medicaid Direct for dental care.

The state's dental finder covers adults and children, with filters for NC Medicaid Direct, location and type of dentist. The Medicaid Contact Center is 888-245-0179. For a local public dental contact, the state's safety-net list gives Wake County's clinic number as 919-250-4610.

Covered dental care includes exams, X-rays, preventive care, fillings and tooth removal, with limits for some procedures. The treating dentist must be enrolled with Medicaid.

Missing teeth and root-canal costs under the state benefit

NC Medicaid's usual full-denture rule is one denture per arch in 10 years, with approval required. The payment includes needed adjustments during the first 6 months. Children can get medically needed care beyond ordinary limits. Those cases still need approval.

Adult root-canal benefits include permanent front teeth. NC Medicaid pays for root canals on premolars and molars only through age 20. For an adult back tooth, get the price in writing before you agree to pay yourself.

UNC student care means a Chapel Hill teaching visit

UNC Adams School of Dentistry has student, resident and faculty care in Chapel Hill. Teachers check the students' work, and student care usually has the lowest fees. Student visits generally last 3 hours. Residents handle more specialist care, while faculty fees are similar to private dental care.

New-patient help is at 919-537-3737. Student and resident programs take Medicaid and Delta Dental; the faculty program has its own insurance terms. The school's treatment plan lists the proposed care and fees.

A denture or implant referral to Brauer Hall

UNC's graduate prosthodontic clinic treats complex tooth replacement. This includes full and partial dentures, bridges and crowns, with implants supporting some replacement teeth. Your dentist refers you for an exam at the school. Once accepted, you join a waitlist for a resident.

The clinic estimates its reduced fees at roughly half those of private care. Visits can last 2 to 3 hours and repeat through the treatment plan. Its phone is 919-537-3947, at Brauer Hall's 3rd floor, Room 303.

Its weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closing from noon to 1 p.m. The clinic accepts Delta Dental and Dental Medicaid. It gives patients with other insurance the papers needed to file their own claims.

Children's dental anxiety and special health needs

UNC's pediatric clinic serves babies through teens, including children with special health needs. Its children's dental treatment includes tooth-injury care, fillings, crowns, sealants and space maintainers. New-patient calls for children under 12 go to 919-537-3956. The clinic is on Brauer Hall's 2nd floor in Chapel Hill.

For adults with complex medical, physical or developmental needs, UNC's special-care clinic takes referrals at 919-537-3866. It offers dental care before cancer treatment or a transplant, as well as clinic and operating-room care.

• Special-care hours Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Friday: 8 a.m. to noon.

For operating-room dental care without Dental Medicaid coverage, that clinic requires a $2,500 dental deposit before booking. The deposit applies to dental work. UNC Health handles the anesthesia and hospital fees.

Braces near home or graduate treatment in Chapel Hill

UNC's graduate orthodontic clinic offers braces and clear aligners for children and adults. It is in Room 201 of Brauer Hall, at 919-537-3942. NC Medicaid can approve braces for a deep overbite that injures mouth tissue, among other severe bite problems.

Posted hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch from noon to 2 p.m.

Urgent tooth pain and the limited SHAC option

Amplify's Rock Quarry dental team lists emergency treatment among its services, with income-based fees.

UNC's SHAC clinic offers limited free dental treatment on selected Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Intake forms open during July and December.

SHAC starts with screening and X-rays, then eligible patients can receive up to 3 treatment visits. Care is by appointment. It treats adults with fillings, simple tooth removal and front-tooth root canals.

SHAC sends dentures, implants, braces, children's care and wisdom-tooth removal elsewhere. It is at Tarrson Hall in Chapel Hill. Its admission rules exclude former SHAC patients who have used all 3 visits and people treated by UNC's student clinic within the past 3 years.

GoRaleigh fares for an east-side dental trip

GoRaleigh's regular fare is $1.25 per ride or $2.50 for a local day pass. You can pay through Umo, a fare card or exact cash. Seniors 65 and older have free rides with valid ID; teenagers 13 to 18 use a Youth GoPass.

Adults 19 to 64 can apply for a Transit Assistance Pass through Medicaid, SNAP or income rules. East-side routes include 17 Rock Quarry, 19 MLK/Sunnybrook and 15 WakeMed. Route 1 runs up Capital Boulevard past Wake Smiles. Falls of Neuse is Route 2.

Disability transport and a longer dental appointment

GoRaleigh Access serves riders whose disability keeps them from using regular buses. A trip must start and end within 0.75 mile of a GoRaleigh stop. The contact is 919-996-3459. An Access trip costs $2.50, with free TAP trips for riders who qualify.

NC Medicaid Direct members request covered non-emergency rides through their local social services office at least 4 days ahead. Members in managed medical plans use their plan's ride service, with the state's usual 2-day notice. The approved trip needs the actual clinic address, including a Chapel Hill destination for UNC care.