Advanced Education in General Dentistry

THE AEGD DENTAL CLINIC

 Located on the 5^th Floor of the
James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine Clinical Facility
29 Bee Street  Charleston, SC

The AEGD Clinic is part of the College of Dental Medicine’s post-graduate training mission.  The doctors are all part of a yearlong primary care general practice residency.  They are fully licensed dental practitioners who were competitively selected after their graduation for this program in advanced academic and clinical training.

The residents work in the clinic with faculty members from the College of Dental Medicine, all of whom have had both formal postgraduate training in primary care and extensive clinical experience.  The clinic’s supporting staff members are a group of very talented individuals dedicated solely to this specific clinic’s daily functions.

WHAT KIND OF CARE IS AVAILABLE?

It is the kind of comprehensive care found in a normal general practice.  Services available range from routine cleanings, fillings and surgery to more complex esthetic procedures and dental implants.  Consultations with other specialists in the College are commonly done providing convenient second opinions for patients with complex issues.  At times patient care may involve coordination with other specialty clinics within the MUSC complex. 

HOW DO I PAY FOR MY CARE?

As in the pre-doctoral clinics, services are paid for as they are provided.  Patients can pay with cash, check, or credit cards (Visa or MasterCard).  Services that require multiple visits to accomplish can be paid over several visits if 50% of the fee is paid at the beginning of the procedure and the rest of the procedure is paid for at the time of the completion appointment.  The cashiers will provide you with an insurance form detailing all of the procedures that are done for you once they are completed and paid for.  You can fill in your personal information on the form and send it directly to your insurance company and they will send all of the reimbursement payments directly to you.

WHEN IS THE CLINIC OPEN?

The clinic operates year round, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, with the following exceptions:

Lunch  (varies from 12:00-1:00 or 1:00-2:00)

National Holidays…….……Closed

Christmas (2 weeks)….…..Closed

How can I become a patient?

Our program evaluates each patient thoroughly and we develop a course of treatment over time based upon each patient’s concerns and goals.  The program can generally accept anyone who can be treated in a private general dental practice. 

We schedule initial appointments for our patients to make a personal record, gather information and begin a discussion with them.  That appointment includes taking a panographic x-ray and doing an initial clinical screening examination for major problems.  We then discuss what we have found and go over each patient’s particular questions.  If the needs are simple we can move on quickly.  If there are complex issues it is prudent to finalize a detailed plan only after everyone has an understanding of what the goals will be and what the patient will be comfortable with.  The fee for that initial appointment is currently $70. If patients have access to a current panographic x-ray of good quality they may bring it with them and that will reduce the fee that day to $10. 

If we do take a panograph for you that day it will be done in a digital format and securely kept in our databank.  You may request to have that x-ray sent through the Internet anywhere you wish in the future as long as you provide us with an official written release.  It will always remain legally secured because it is private personal health information, but if you need it somewhere else it can be sent with minimal effort.  It will also arrive there with no loss of quality because of its digital format, a feature that is true for all of the x-rays we are now taking with our new equipment. 

Fees:

The Panographic x-ray that we take during your evaluation is $60 and the consultation that day is $10. A normal cleaning appointment with the hygienist is $65, and a set of 4 bitewing x-rays is $40. A new patient examination is $50 and a periodic (recall) examination is $27. The clinic’s fees for routine x-rays, cleanings and examinations are similar to the fees found in many private practices.

Fillings can range from $60 to $160 depending on the procedure, full crowns can range from $700 to $825 while crowns for implants have a wide range based upon the implant components but often range from $1000-$1200.  Those fees are generally 20% or more below the average in Charleston and the surrounding area. They are mentioned here simply because we are asked about them so often, but the fact is that price comparisons are very inaccurate indicators about what you may actually need.

If you would like to schedule an evaluation appointment please call 843-792-1652 and leave a message with your phone number and/or an email address where you can be reached.  We will contact you to arrange your appointment.

WHAT ABOUT THE PRE-DOCTORAL CLINICS?  ARE THEY LESS EXPENSIVE?

The pre-doctoral clinics are less expensive.  The fact is that both areas provide excellent professional care at reduced fees for their patients. However there are differences:

THE TIME REQUIREMENTS: Both programs emphasize comprehensive care, but the AEGD practitioners are fully trained and licensed dentists.  The doctors can manage more complex situations when both the timing and integration of treatment procedures become important.

PERSONAL TIME CONSTRAINTS: Treatment progression is faster in the Graduate Clinic.  For some patients, this may be preferable, and for others it may be of little consequence.

THE APPOINTMENTS:  Appointment scheduling is much more flexible in the Graduate Clinic.  This may be a critical factor for patients with limited personal time.  

THE CASE COMPLEXITY: Some multidisciplinary cases may be managed more effectively at the Graduate Program level.

THE COST:  The Graduate Clinic fees are higher than the Undergraduate Clinic fees.  While they are generally 20% to 30% less than the fees in a private practice, they may still be twice as much or more than the fees in the pre-doctoral clinics.

Patients cannot be registered in both the graduate and undergraduate clinics at the same time.  If you would prefer to become a patient in the pre-doctoral clinic you may call them for a screening appointment at 792-2101.  We are not able to refer you directly to the undergraduate program.

Parking:

You can park in the university parking lot located at President and Bee streets. Use the President Street entrance, and tell the attendant that you have an appointment in the dental school.  There is a fee for parking there, but it is out of the sun and you don’t have to feed a parking meter.  Street parking is available but it is often hard to find.  The dental clinic is unable to validate your parking ticket.