Becoming a Patient at NJDS

Thank You for your Interest in the New Jersey Dental School

	Bergen Street Circle	Oral Health Pavilion
	110 Bergen Street, P.O. Box 1709	Fifty 12th Avenue
	Newark, NJ 07101-1709	Newark, NJ 07103

Email: NJDSScreening@umdnj.edu

The New Jersey Dental School (NJDS) provides a full range of oral health services while training the next generation of dentists. After the treatment needs of patients are evaluated, eligibility for care at NJDS is determined. This process occurs at the first two "screening" appointments.

Basic Information - for Adults

Call (973) 972-7370 for your first screening appointment between the hours of 9 am to 12 pm and from 2:00 to 4:30 pm.  There is a $55.00 fee for this appointment, which includes an examination, x-rays and discussion of necessary treatment.  It is more than likely that this will require two visits so that we may have your developed radiographs present at the time treatment is discussed.  We accept cash, personal check, credit card, and Medicaid.  If you are being referred from another dentist, please bring your referral letter.  If you have recent dental x-rays, you may want to bring them.

To accommodate your dental needs, at the first screening appointment, you will be assigned to a group with either a predoctoral student (studying to become a dentist) or a postdoctoral student (already a dentist, studying to become a specialist).  Your assignment status will be dependent on student availability and complexity of your dental treatment.  If your treatment needs does not match either category, you may be referred to our Faculty Practice / Doctors Office Center (DOC) facility or to a dentist in your community.

Basic Information - for Children

1. Call (973) 972-4620 Pediatric Dentistry to make an initial appointment for children age 12 and under.
2. Parents or the guardian must be present for the first appointment to sign consent.
3. Initial visit includes complete examination, x-rays and treatment plan discussion. There is a fee for this visit.
4. Services are also available for the physically challenged patient.

Important FACTS for Patients to Know

• You will be treated by a predoctoral or postgraduate student who will work under the direction of a faculty member who is a fully licensed dentist.
• There is a fee for all services rendered at the New Jersey Dental School (except for Medicaid recipients).
• Treatment will be at a rate considerably less than at a traditional dental office.
• If x-rays were not taken at the first visit, please call (973) 972-7539 to schedule an x-ray appointment.
• You are expected to follow good dental hygiene and tooth care as recommended by your treating student dentist / postgraduate student.
• We will make every effort to serve your dental needs in a caring atmosphere.  We ask that you, the patient, respect the time set aside for your individual care.

As a teaching institution where students are the sole provider source, the New Jersey Dental School reserves the right to decline to be a provider of treatment when:

• The patient does not keep scheduled appointments or cancels or reschedules appointments with less than 24 hours notice.
• The patient or responsible third parties are unable to finance a reasonable plan for oral health care.
• The patient does not agree with the proposed treatment plan.
• The patient exhibits disruptive behavior.

The above is only a general overview, as there may be other circumstances to deny treatment.

Payment

1. Patients are required to pay at each appointment, or in accordance with a previously established payment schedule.
2. Your estimated fees will be discussed with you before you begin treatment.
3. Payments may be made by cash, check or credit card.
4. If your insurance company requires prior authorization, please give the form to the predoctoral or postdoctoral student the day of your treatment plan discussion.
5. Patients with dental insurance must pay for treatment and apply to their insurance company for reimbursement.
6. Medicaid patients should present their cards at registration to verify coverage.

You may discuss payment with the Financial Counselors in Room D-718, D-954, or call (973) 972-5303

Postgraduate/Resident Clinics

If you have special needs or if your treatment is complex, you may be referred to a Postgraduate Student by a private practitioner, Predoctoral Student Clinic, or at your first screening appointment. If you wish to be seen in one of our Resident Clinics, you may call the appropriate clinic directly.

• Dental Implants: 973-972-1486
• The Division of Orofacial Pain, Department of Diagnostic Sciences: 973-972-6613 Patients with temporomandibular, facial and head pain that are not teeth related are treated in this clinic.
• Endodontics:  973-972-4690 Root canal therapy for prevention and treatment of pulpal (nerve) infections.
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery:  973-972-4717 Routine and complex tooth extraction, removal of diseased tissue, and surgical treatment of injuries.
• Oral Medicine Clinic: 973-972-3418  Provides dental care to medically compromised patients.
• Orthodontics: 973-972-4704  Braces.  Correction of alignment of the teeth and jaw in adults and children.
• Pediatric Dentistry (See - for Children above.)
• Periodontics: 973-972-4210  Gum disease prevention and treatment (gingival).
• Prosthodontics: 973-972-5313  Traditional treatment methods, as well as cosmetic restoration, advanced replacement of teeth with crowns, bridges, removable partial and complete dentures.
• Special Care Treatment Center: 973-972-7040  Treats patients who have special needs such as Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and those who are mentally challenged.

Preventive Care

Regular check-ups are an important part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. You will receive a notice to arrange for a periodic examination and preventive care, once every three or six months depending on your dental condition and specific needs.

Emergency Care During Hours of Operation

• Registered patients of the New Jersey Dental School in active treatment (within the last two years) experiencing a dental emergency during our hours of operation: contact your assigned dental student, Dental Care Coordinator, or group receptionist, or stop in at 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. and report to your assigned group.
• Non-registered Patients You will be treated on a first come, first served basis:
  Monday through Friday at 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. most days.
  It is recommended that you come at the earliest times available.
  There is an $85.00 fee for emergency exam ONLY. Additional fees will apply depending on treatment needed and are payable before treatment begins.

Emergency Care After Hours of Operation

• Registered patients of the New Jersey Dental School in active care within the last two years experiencing a dental emergency (severe pain, extensive swelling, bleeding from an extraction), after hours or during the weekend or holiday, should call our answering service at (973) 972-0003.
• Non-registered patients in need of dental emergency after hours, or during the weekend or holiday, may choose to be seen at University Hospital Emergency Room located at 150 Bergen Street, Newark, New Jersey, or any other hospital that provide these services.

All patients who seek care at University Hospital Emergency Room are responsible for any hospital charges incurred.  Services rendered at University Hospital are completely separate from your New Jersey Dental School charges.

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996.

A Notice of UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information will also be presented to you at the initial screening visit.  This notice describes how health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully

Patient Rights and Responsibilities
The NJDS Patient Rights and Responsibilities will be presented to you at the initial screening visit. You should read and understand your rights and responsibilities as a patient of our institution.

Patient Confidentiality
The NJDS ensures that the confidentiality of information pertaining to the health status of each individual patient is strictly maintained. 

We trust you will experience the best of care at the
New Jersey Dental School.

 

	General Information	973-972-4242
	Registration  (Adult)	973-972-7370
	Emergency during hours of operation	973-972-7371
	Emergency after hours, see above.

Directions
Public Transportation: The Newark Campus is accessible from Penn Station via the New Jersey Transit bus routes number 31 and 34. 

From Route 78, East or West
(From Newark International Airport, use Route 78 Westbound):
Take Exit 56 towards Elizabeth Avenue and turn left at the Elizabeth Avenue traffic light. At the next traffic light, West Bigelow Street, turn left. Go about 3/10 mile and turn right onto Bergen St; proceed about one-and-a-half miles; cross over South Orange Ave.  Go to the 2nd driveway and make a right into the self-parking Doctors Office Center (DOC) garage. 

Garden State Parkway North and South
Garden State Parkway to Exit 145 to I-280 East. Stay left to exit at First St. Turn right on First St. And continue across West Market Street where First St. becomes Bergen St. Follow parking directions below.

NJ Turnpike North or South
Take exit 15W to I-280 to Orange St./6th St. Exit. Make the first right onto Orange St., proceed one block to First Street. Turn right and proceed about half a mile to West Market St., where First St. becomes Bergen St. Follow parking directions below.

Parking – Doctors Office Center (DOC) Garage - Hourly Parking
Go one light past West Market St. to 12th Avenue; bear left for self-parking in DOC garage (hourly rates are assessed). The Dental School is located behind the parking deck.

Metered parking is available on Bergen Street and on 12th Avenue. 

Other New Jersey Dental School extramural clinics are:

University Dental Center at Galloway	University John H. Cronin Dental Center	University Dental Center at Somerdale
4 East Jimmie Leeds Road	235 Dolphin Avenue	13 Somerdale Square
Building 2—Suite 6	Northfield, New Jersey 08225	Somerdale, New Jersey 08083
Galloway, New Jersey 08205	609-645-5814	856-566-6969
609-652-0501