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Low-Cost Dental Care in St. Louis
Dental work is one of the easiest bills to put off and one of the most expensive to ignore. St. Louis has real low-cost options: sliding-scale community clinics and two teaching clinics where supervised students and residents treat patients for much less.
Community dental clinics (sliding scale)
These clinics charge based on your income and accept patients without insurance:
Affinia Healthcare — FergusonGeneral dentistry on a sliding scale — the closest option for most North County renters. Affinia also offers dental at 1717 Biddle St. and 4414 N. Florissant Ave. in the city.
CareSTL HealthDental services alongside primary care.
Family Care Health CentersSliding-scale dental for adults and children; they also see children as soon as the first teeth appear.
St. Louis County DPH — John C. Murphy Health CenterCounty-run dental clinic: exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, and extractions. Call to confirm who is eligible before you go; if it cannot see you, use the community clinics above or the teaching clinics below.
Teaching clinics: bigger work for less
St. Louis Dental CenterA partnership between Affinia Healthcare and A.T. Still University's dental school. Dental students treat patients under the supervision of licensed dentists, at reduced cost with sliding-scale pricing. It also runs a dental urgent care with evening hours on Mondays and Wednesdays and Saturday-morning hours — the best same-day option in the city for pain without emergency signs. Appointments take longer than a private office, but the price difference is real.
Dental Specialties of Saint Louis UniversitySLU's resident dentists handle specialty work — braces, root canals, gum treatment and implants, and pediatric dentistry for kids under 12 — at lower cost than private specialists. Orthodontics offers a free screening after online registration; root canal and gum patients generally need a referral from a dentist.
How to keep the bill down
- Start with an exam and cleaning at a sliding-scale clinic — catching a small cavity early is the cheapest dental care there is.
- Ask for the price before treatment. Every clinic on this page will tell you the cost up front if you ask.
- Medicaid (MO HealthNet) covers basic adult dental care in Missouri — exams, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, and extractions; pregnant women get broader coverage. If you qualify, the community clinics above accept it.
- Emergencies: call 911 or go to the ER right away if swelling spreads to your jaw, neck, or eye, or you have a fever, trouble breathing or swallowing, or cannot open your mouth. A spreading dental infection can become life-threatening. For a toothache or a small swelling without those signs, call a community clinic as soon as it opens and ask for a same-day emergency slot.
Heads up: we checked the details on this page in September 2026, but hours, fees, and policies change. Call before you go.