Who This Helps: Uninsured New Yorkers, low-income residents, students, seniors, immigrants, and anyone paying out-of-pocket for dental work in NYC. If you’ve been putting off a cleaning, a filling, or a tooth that’s been bothering you for months because of cost — this is your roadmap.
Dental care is one of the most painful gaps in NYC’s health safety net. Medicaid coverage in New York covers basic dental services, but if you’re uninsured, between insurance plans, or on a private plan with no dental rider, a single cleaning can run $250 and a root canal can hit $1,800. Most New Yorkers in this position simply don’t go to the dentist — until they’re in serious pain.
There is a better option, and it’s been hiding in plain sight in Kips Bay since the 1860s: the NYU College of Dentistry, the oldest and largest dental school in the United States. Its patient clinic at 345 East 24th Street treats hundreds of thousands of patient visits annually at significantly reduced fees, with students providing care under direct faculty supervision.
What NYU Dentistry Actually Offers
NYU’s patient clinic is a teaching institution — meaning dental students perform the care, but every step is reviewed and approved by licensed faculty dentists. The trade-off is time: a procedure that takes one hour in a private office may take two or three at NYU because the student must check in with a faculty member at each stage.
In exchange, you pay a fraction of private-practice fees. Services available at the 345 East 24th Street Manhattan campus include:
- Comprehensive general dentistry exams
- Dental hygiene (cleanings, deep cleanings, scaling and root planing)
- Dental X-rays and oral assessments
- Fillings and restorations
- Root canal therapy (endodontics)
- Oral surgery and extractions
- Orthodontics (braces, including for adults)
- Pediatric dentistry
- Prosthodontics (crowns, bridges, dentures)
- Specialized care through the Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities
Pricing and the Stu-Dent Plan
NYU’s general clinic fees are set at significantly below market rate for NYC, and the school also operates the Stu-Dent Plan — a discount membership program for adults that bundles routine preventive care at a fixed annual cost. For specifics on current Stu-Dent Plan pricing and inclusions, NYU asks that you contact the clinic directly, since pricing is reviewed annually.
Importantly, NYU is not free for most patients — it’s reduced cost. If you need fully free dental care, you may want to explore NYC Health + Hospitals dental clinics (which accept Medicaid and provide sliding-scale fees), Federally Qualified Health Centers like Charles B. Wang Community Health Center and Family Health Center of Harlem, or the New York City Department of Health’s dental clinic directory. But for those willing to spend modestly and have the time, NYU offers some of the highest-quality reduced-cost dental work in the city.
How to Book Your First Appointment
The first step is a general dentistry intake examination. You have two options to schedule:
- Call: 212-998-9800 to speak with the appointment scheduling team
- Online: Complete the Appointment Request Form at dental.nyu.edu/patientcare.html
For the initial visit, plan to spend 2–3 hours at the clinic. The intake exam includes a full oral assessment, X-rays as needed, and a treatment plan with itemized cost estimates before any work is done. You will not be billed for anything you haven’t agreed to in writing.
Urgent Care Without an Appointment
If you’re in active pain, have a broken tooth, excessive bleeding, swelling, oral infection, or trauma, NYU operates a walk-in Emergency Services / Urgent Care clinic at the same 345 East 24th Street location. No appointment is needed — it’s first-come, first-served. Get there when doors open Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM for the shortest wait.
Hours and Location
- Address: 345 East 24th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues), Manhattan
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Nearest subway: 6 train to 23rd Street
- General appointments: 212-998-9800
Other NYU Dentistry Locations
NYU also operates the David B. Kriser Dental Center at 336 Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn (call 646-997-4300 for appointments). The Brooklyn clinic offers many of the same services and is often less crowded than the Manhattan flagship.
How to Take Action
- Identify what you need. Routine cleaning and exam? General dentistry. Tooth pain or visible damage? Consider urgent care walk-in.
- For routine care: Call 212-998-9800 or visit dental.nyu.edu/patientcare.html to request an intake appointment.
- For urgent care: Go directly to 345 East 24th Street, Manhattan, Monday–Friday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Arrive early.
- Bring: Photo ID, any past dental records you can access, list of medications and allergies, and a payment method (cash, card, or some insurance plans accepted).
- Ask up front for an itemized treatment plan with cost estimates before agreeing to any procedure.
- Be honest about pain: If you’re avoiding the dentist because of dental anxiety, tell the intake coordinator. NYU has programs specifically designed for anxious patients.
If NYU Isn’t Right for You
If you need fully free care or speak a language other than English as your primary language, also explore: NYC Health + Hospitals dental services (call 311 or 1-844-NYC-4NYC), Touro College of Dental Medicine (though their main clinic is in Hawthorne, NY, outside city limits), and Federally Qualified Health Centers across all five boroughs. The NYC Department of Health publishes a dental clinic directory broken down by borough.
This is general health information, not medical advice. Contact your healthcare provider for advice about your specific situation. Pricing and program details may change — verify current information directly with NYU College of Dentistry before your appointment.
