Philadelphia, PA Dentists | 1,036 Ranked

Urgent tooth care, school clinics and neighborhood dentistry in Philadelphia

Philadelphia combines neighborhood public dental care with teaching programs on North Broad and in West Philly. An urgent tooth visit can start a longer plan for repairs or replacement teeth. Those later costs and office choices across town are part of the Philly dentist comparison guide.

Philadelphia has 171 dental offices with Google ratings from 4.9 to 5.0. That gives you highly rated choices to compare alongside your benefit network and the work you need. For a Northeast family or someone near Center City, follow-up visits also depend on where each stage of care takes place.

Emergency dental care at Temple on North Broad

Temple's Kornberg School of Dentistry, on North Broad by Allegheny Station, takes urgent calls at 215-707-2900 from adults without an assigned student or resident. Its scheduling hours are 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The urgent visit addresses the most pressing need, with payment before procedures. Temple also welcomes walk-ins under its published policy, with staff explaining the wait and whether an appointment would be needed. Ongoing general care begins with a new-patient screening.

Children under 16 use Temple's Children's Dental Clinic for urgent care. That clinic's dental number is 215-707-2863. Private offices on the Philly urgent dental list also assess tooth pain and injury, needs discussed in the PA urgent dental guide.

With 82 Philadelphia offices listing Saturday hours, weekend dental plans can include private choices beyond the North Broad and West Philly teaching programs. A painful tooth still needs a call to the office about the symptoms and the visit. The first assessment establishes how to treat the tooth.

Penn Dental urgent calls for patients already in care

Penn Dental Medicine's urgent service is for current patients. Its after-hours, weekend and school-holiday answering line is 215-898-8961. Calls about severe pain, swelling or bleeding are passed to the dental team for follow-up.

Penn directs life-threatening cases to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or the nearest hospital. Its emergency information explains that a hospital will not replace lost fillings, crowns or dental appliances. Those repairs require a dentist, and emergency treatment can have charges.

Penn's teaching clinic is at 240 South 40th Street in West Philly. Screening and an exam start the care plan for new patients.

City dental care when you don't have insurance

Philly's city health centers provide basic and urgent dental care for enrolled patients. The centers accept Medicare, Medicaid, HMOs and most insurance. Uninsured patients pay a fee related to family size and income.

You'll need to enroll for city dental care. The city's health centers provide translation and interpretation for patients and their families.

Call 311 for city dental-care questions. For local options, the city's primary-care finder includes a dental filter. It also shows language choices and information for contacting each center.

City dental clinics from South Philly to Cottman

• South Philly: Health Center 2, 1700 South Broad Street, Unit 201; dental 215-685-1822.
• West Philly: Health Center 3, 555 South 43rd Street; dental 215-685-7506. Health Center 4 is at 4400 Haverford Avenue; dental 215-685-7605.
• North 20th Street: Health Center 5, 1900 North 20th Street; dental 215-685-2938.
• Girard Avenue: Health Center 6, 301 West Girard Avenue; dental 215-685-3816.
• Strawberry Mansion: 2840 West Dauphin Street; dental 215-685-2401.
• Germantown: Mattie L. Humphrey Health Center, formerly Health Center 9, 131 East Chelten Avenue; dental 215-685-5738.
• Northeast: Health Center 10, 2230 Cottman Avenue; dental 215-685-0639.

MA dental benefits for Philly adults age 21 and older

PA's Medicaid plan is called Medical Assistance, or MA. MA covers urgent pain care and surgery for adults. The other dental care you can get depends on your benefit group and the work you need.

Adults who qualify get exams, X-rays, fillings, tooth removal and oral surgery. Some exams and cleanings have a 180-day limit. More care can need a benefit-limit exception: approval to go beyond the usual rule.

Root canals, crowns and gum care can also need that approval for adults. The dental office sends the request with the health reason.

Philly denture care and the MA lifetime rule

For most adults, MA pays for one upper denture and one lower denture in a lifetime. The limit covers full or partial teeth. A dentist can request approval to go past the limit when the case meets the state's rules.

People in nursing and certain other care facilities can get care without the exception request. For other adults, the dentist sends the health reason for more work. Approval can allow another denture beyond the lifetime limit.

Penn has a specialty service for dentures and other replacement teeth, with direct referrals from an outside dentist. A consultation with Philly implant dentists can address fixed replacements. Implant surgery and the finished tooth form parts of that plan, the stages discussed in the PA implant guide.

CHIP, children's MA and hospital dental care in Philly

MA covers the dental care enrolled children need for health reasons. Its children's benefit is broader than the limited adult benefit. The child's age and plan guide which benefit pays for the work.

PA's CHIP dental plan has no deductible, copay or coinsurance for covered care with a network dentist. The plan pays for care that meets its health rules. Treatment such as braces still needs approval, and the dental team must work within the plan's network.

CHOP's dental team serves children from birth through 19 with complex health or support needs. It treats teeth in the operating room or with sedation when needed. It also has special help for children whose heart condition affects safe dental care.

CHIP's covered preventive care includes cleanings, fluoride and sealants. The Pennsylvania pediatric dental guide addresses those visits and finding a child's regular dental team. A child with complex health needs can require hospital-based support, while routine prevention takes place in a dental office.

Temple fees and the kind of clinic you choose

At Temple, fees vary with the procedure and whether a student, resident or faculty dentist treats you. Students work with faculty supervision. Residents are dentists taking further training in a specialty.

Temple takes Pennsylvania Medical Assistance. It also has Dental Pass and income-based fee plans for patients who qualify. Its payment staff can review the program that applies to your planned work.

Payment is generally due at the start of a visit. More involved work can use part payment before treatment and the rest when it's finished. Temple accepts cash, cards, money orders and checks with ID.

Penn treatment estimates and the first West Philly visit

Penn's first visit includes an oral exam and needed images. The dentist reviews pain and other concerns before planning the next stage. Earlier X-rays can be reviewed as part of that exam.

At Penn, you and the faculty dentist sign a plan with the expected costs. You pay as care is given, with some lab work and surgery paid in advance. The school accepts Medicaid plans offered in southeast PA.

Penn's general student program treats the whole agreed plan. A written referral from an outside dentist can instead arrange a specific piece of specialty care. That patient returns to their outside dentist once the referred work is finished.

Student care at Penn needs at least 4 hours each week, as one long visit or two shorter ones. The school ends care after 3 missed visits or cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice in one calendar year. Arriving more than 20 minutes late without notice also counts toward that limit.

Philly school clinics for fear and support needs

Temple's Sedation Center helps children and adults who can't cope with care in a usual dental clinic. Fear or a disability can make this support useful. Its team includes oral surgeons and doctors who give anesthesia; call 215-707-9400 to discuss an exam.

Penn's Care Center for Persons with Disabilities has a quiet room, a wheelchair lift and staff for patients with autism or other support needs; call 215-898-8180. The quiet room opens onto the hallway for people who need to avoid the main waiting area. A wheelchair lift lets patients remain in their own chair during care. Rooms have lights and shades that can be adjusted, plus dental chairs that move for people arriving on stretchers.

Free cleaning care and benefit help in Philly

Community College of Philadelphia runs a free dental hygiene teaching clinic. Its program covers preventive work such as cleaning, fluoride, sealants and needed X-rays. Students provide that preventive care with faculty oversight.

You can use BenePhilly for free help to apply for MA and other public benefits. The team helps you gather proof and tracks your forms after they're sent. Call 800-994-5537 to reach the program.

Dental trips from Center City, North Broad and University City

Allegheny Station on the Broad Street Line is outside Temple's dental school. The Ontario Street hospital garage is 2 blocks north and charges for parking. The school address is 3223 North Broad Street on the Health Sciences campus.

Penn's Robert Schattner Center entrance is on 40th Street between Locust and Spruce, with a patient drop-off area.

For Penn, take the Market-Frankford Line, also called L1, to 40th and Market. Walk south on 40th Street for 4 blocks to the dental school. T2, T3, T4 and T5 trolleys stop at 40th and Baltimore; from there, walk north on 40th for 3 blocks.

Penn's patient parking is above the Acme at 4001 Walnut Street. With the school's checkout voucher, the rate is $11 for the first 5 hours, then $2 per additional hour. The voucher comes from the cashier when you check out of your dental visit.

West-side choices beyond Philadelphia include Bala Cynwyd, Ardmore, Narberth and Upper Darby. For a trip north, compare dental offices in Elkins Park and Jenkintown.

Philly gum referrals, braces and appearance goals

Gum treatment at Penn can begin with a written referral from your dentist. Private Philadelphia gum specialists also plan care and later cleaning, parts of the Pennsylvania gum-care guide. Penn takes written referrals for braces too, with moving teeth and later retainers discussed in the Pennsylvania orthodontic guide.

Penn accepts referrals for crowns and bridges as well as gum care. For an appearance goal, compare Philadelphia cosmetic dentists after an exam establishes what a tooth needs. Crowns and elective changes have different purposes, discussed in the Pennsylvania cosmetic dental guide.

Philly questions about urgent visits and dental benefits