Milwaukee, WI Dentists | 386 Ranked

BadgerCare, teaching clinics and dental care across Milwaukee

BadgerCare dental coverage in Milwaukee County can run through the member's HMO. An office's participation in that dental network matters when choosing a Milwaukee dentist for covered care.

The Milwaukee County plan name makes a difference

BadgerCare Plus includes dental care for eligible adults and children. Chorus members use its dental service at 877-389-9870 for urgent dental guidance. Other HMO members use their own plan's dental contact.

ForwardHealth Member Services explains benefits and enrollment through 800-362-3002. Its weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Central Time.

87 Milwaukee offices have Google ratings of 4.9 to 5.0; check your HMO's dentist list before you book one.

HealthCheck serves members under 21. Its Other Services benefit can cover some care outside the usual benefit, such as braces. Your dentist asks the plan or state for approval before braces or other extra care starts.

What adult BadgerCare dental benefits can pay for

Wisconsin's adult dental benefit includes exams, needed X-rays, cleaning and fillings. Treatment for a damaged tooth can include a root canal or removal. Removable full and partial dentures are also covered when the case meets the program's rules.

For members age 21 and older, a molar root canal needs prior approval. Deep gum cleaning and follow-up gum treatment need approval too. The dentist sends a request before those services begin. A full or partial denture also needs that review.

Wisconsin also requires approval for planned oral surgery for adults 21 and older in a nonemergency case. Emergency oral surgery follows an exception to that rule. The dental team checks the proposed work against these rules before billing Medicaid.

Pregnant members and people who had a baby in the past 365 days have no copays. Other adults have no copays when their income is at or below 50% of the federal poverty level.

Your About Your Benefits letter gives your monthly copay limit. The state caps total monthly copays at 5% of gross income, before taxes or other deductions. It sends a letter when you reach the limit. That letter removes further copays for the rest of that month.

West Wisconsin Avenue: what student dental care involves

Marquette's dental school is at 1801 West Wisconsin Avenue. Patient parking is in Lot S at 605 North 18th Street. The adult screening line is 414-288-6790.

Screening calls are taken weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Health forms come in English and Spanish.

Marquette takes screening bookings by phone and uses your email for registration. Bring your ForwardHealth or private dental card, a current medicine list, your doctor's details and an emergency contact. The school can send the health-history form as a PDF. You can also fill it out during the screening visit.

The first screening checks whether your needs fit student care. Regular school visits last 2 to 4 hours. The school puts its fees at about half private-office fees and gives a price after the exam. General clinic fees are paid in full at each visit.

Marquette lists Chorus, regular BadgerCare (Medicaid) and Molina, with specific braces and referral rules. With private dental insurance, you pay first and then seek repayment through a claim.

MATC's Highland Avenue hygiene visits have a set package

MATC's student hygiene clinic is at 700 West Highland Avenue, Room H115. It serves ages 3 and up. New patients ages 18 to 62 pay $40 for the first hygiene visit, cleaning and full-mouth and bitewing X-rays.

Cleaning is $10 for children 12 or younger and adults 63 or older. Other services have their own fees.

A visit lasts about 3.5 to 4 hours, and care can take several visits. The clinic runs in fall and spring with breaks between terms; call 414-297-6573. Its work includes gum cleaning, fluoride and sealants.

Lisbon Avenue offers family treatment and income discounts

Progressive's dental care is at 3522 West Lisbon Avenue, phone 414-935-8000. It serves adults and children from age 2. Progressive sees patients for dental care only, without a medical visit. Its services include fillings, simple tooth removal, dentures and partial dentures.

Progressive's financial counselor checks ID and income papers to set a discount. Those papers can be pay stubs or a benefits letter. Patients pay their share on the day of care. Free interpreters are available through the front desk.

Progressive's Seal-A-Smile work provides children's tooth checks, sealants and fluoride at partner K-8 schools.

Dentures and implant planning at Marquette's graduate clinic

The graduate tooth-replacement clinic serves adults with dentures, implant-supported replacement teeth, crowns and bridges. Screening has a fee, and a panoramic X-ray adds a charge if needed. After acceptance, the treatment-planning fee is $500. It counts toward care if you accept a plan and is not returned if you decline it.

The graduate clinic collects a third of the cost when treatment starts. Another third is due when lab work begins, and the final third when care is finished. Visits usually last 3 hours. Call 414-288-6508 about the graduate service.

Children's dental fear and help with complex care

Marquette's pediatric service treats children age 3 through 12 at 414-288-7273. Its care includes nitrous oxide for some anxious children, with deeper sedation or treatment at Children's Wisconsin for selected needs. The team chooses the setting after assessing the child's health and treatment.

The children's clinic requires no screening appointment. At the first visit, a parent or legal guardian can give written consent for another adult over 18 to bring the child to later visits. A consenting adult stays with the child in the school. Its work includes baby-tooth root canals and space management.

The school's Special Care clinic treats patients who can have care without sedation. Gardetto at Saint Ann Center serves Wisconsin residents with more severe physical or cognitive disabilities. It takes a dentist's referral when those needs prevent care in a standard office. Call 414-210-2440; the clinic accepts Medicaid.

Gardetto's treatment rooms and hallways fit wheelchairs and scooters. Its care includes root canals, gum treatment, fillings, crowns and tooth removal.

Uninsured emergency dental visits in Milwaukee

Marquette's urgent service has an initial $106 charge, with further charges set after the exam. Call 414-288-7388 to describe the problem and get current instructions.

Marquette's urgent dental service treats acute pain, broken teeth, broken fillings and dental injuries. Students work under licensed dentists. It sees adults and children over 13.

Marquette offers limited walk-in dental slots on a first-come basis for people without an assigned student. Its posted intake windows are:

• Morning walk-ins: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• Afternoon walk-ins: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

A parent or legal guardian must come with a teen and stay for the visit. Patients must be able to give written consent for themselves or have the required guardian there. The school closes for university holidays.

Marquette's after-hours emergency dental line, 262-521-4997, is only for patients already under the school's care.

Aurora Sinai Medical Center has an emergency room at 945 North 12th Street for medical problems after hours. Facial swelling with fever from a tooth infection needs emergency medical assessment, including at night. You'll still need a dentist to treat the source of an abscess. The hospital offers free parking and medical interpreters around the clock.

Marquette's oral-surgery clinic treats adults and children from age 12 for mouth, tooth and jaw problems.

Wisconsin Avenue bus trips and longer clinic visits

CONNECT 1 runs along Wisconsin Avenue, with stops including North 12th Street, North 35th Street and Water Street. MCTS regular fare is $2.75. WisGo or Umo includes a 90-minute transfer; a long dental visit usually means a new fare for the trip home. Cash fares do not include transfers or fare caps.

Reduced fare is $1.25 for qualifying riders, including those age 65 or older. Transit Plus needs disability-based approval for people unable to use regular buses or reach their stops. Its information line is 414-343-1700.