Patient Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ). You will be informed of the various clinics, services and treatments available. Our staff will help you make an appointment for a new patient visit, and will inform you of what you need to bring to your first appointment.

How much does dental care cost?
All fees will be explained to you in detail before your treatment begins. In most cases you will be treated by a dental student under the supervision of a licensed dentist faculty member. Fees for services provided by student providers are roughly half the cost of what you would pay in a private dental office.

Depending on your individual treatment needs, you may be treated by a post-graduate resident in conjunction with specialist faculty in one of UCSF's advanced specialty training programs, or a faculty member in the Faculty Group Practice. Fees for post-graduate resident providers are about two-thirds of what you would pay in a private dental office. Fees in faculty practices are comparable to those of a private dental office in the San Francisco area.

Why are fees so much lower in comparison to typical private dental offices?
Treatment in the student clinics takes approximately twice as long as it does in the private sector. Most appointments last two to three hours, depending on the complexity of the procedure, as all care performed by student providers must be supervised and evaluated by faculty dentists. In faculty practices, the time required for procedures is the same as what you would find in a private dental office.

May I be treated by a faculty dentist?
You may be treated by a UCSF School of Dentistry faculty dentist. We attempt to accommodate both the patient's and the faculty member's schedule, since our faculty dentists also have teaching and research responsibilities.

The initial visit in Faculty Group Practice includes a full exam with radiographs and possibly other information gathering, for which normal fees apply.

Commitment to patients 
In keeping with the mission of the University of California, San Francisco, the School of Dentistry engages in teaching, research and public service. As a health professional school, our major public service is in the area of patient care. We provide a comprehensive approach to the delivery of dental services, allowing us to meet the diverse needs of our patient population. We take great pride in providing excellent care to our patients. In fact, we have been doing this for more than 125 years since the establishment of the School of Dentistry in 1881. Our reputation for excellence brings patients to us from throughout the western United States. Our services range from the routine to the most sophisticated in oral health care today.

Location:

100 Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Phone number(s):

415-476-5608

Days/hours of operation:

Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM

Description of Services:

The Buchanan Dental Center is an off-site extension of the UCSF School of Dentistry. Most of the providers are dental students. The students provide a wide range of comprehensive services including examinations, teeth cleaning, periodontal therapy, root canals, dental fillings, cosmetic procedures, bleaching, crowns, dental implants, extractions, dentures, bridges and treatment of dental emergencies. In addition to the dental students, a number of faculty also provide services. These faculty practices include general dentistry, oral surgery and orthodontics.

Outpatient services include:

Insurance plans accepted:

The Buchanan Dental Center accepts most major dental insurance plans and Medi-Cal.

Special instructions for new patients:

None.

Special instructions for referring providers:

If you have recent x-rays, please bring them with you.

Emergency Dental Services:

During business hours, please call 415-476-5608 for dental emergencies.