Dentists in El Paso

At the Texas Tech clinic, care is given by student dentists supervised by licensed faculty, and new patients start with a screening appointment. Call 915-215-6700 to ask about fees, wait times and what the clinic can treat. DSHS lists it with the clinics at Texas A&M in Dallas, UTHealth Houston and UT Health San Antonio as Texas's four dental schools with public clinics.

Student clinics elsewhere in Texas describe lower fees and longer appointments than private offices, so ask the El Paso clinic how its visits compare before you book.

Fluoride is another local question worth one phone call. DSHS says about 19.6 million Texans, or 72%, drink water that is adjusted or naturally fluoridated. Whether your tap water is among it is a question for El Paso Water, and your child's dentist may want the answer.

Delta Dental's national averages without insurance give El Paso patients a benchmark. A standard cleaning runs $85 to $160. Tooth-colored fillings average $145 to $480 for front teeth and $165 to $530 for back teeth, and silver amalgam fillings $110 to $455 (2024 data). An out-of-network permanent crown averages $1,100 to $2,000 (2023 data).

Ask for a written treatment plan with the procedure codes and the fee for each item before work starts. Our Texas dentists guide has more on costs and insurance.

The TSBDE license search

The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners licenses dentists, hygienists, registered dental assistants and dental labs. Its Public License Search shows whether a license is current and lists any public disciplinary action. Every Texas dental office must also post TSBDE's consumer information sign where patients can see it.

Specialists and general dentists

Texas recognizes 12 dental specialties, including orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics and pediatric dentistry. A dentist may advertise as a specialist only after an accredited specialty program of two or more years or board certification, and practices must not imply that general dentists are specialists. Specialty status isn't printed on the license certificate, so ask where the dentist trained.

Who does your cleaning

A hygienist can clean and polish teeth, take X-rays, apply fluoride and give local anesthetic under a dentist's authorization, but can't diagnose or prescribe. A dentist can delegate your cleaning to a hygienist if the dentist examined you within the past 12 months.

A Texas hygienist may also treat patients away from the office, in a nursing home, a school, a public health clinic or the patient's own home, as long as a supervising dentist oversees the work. Ask about it if a relative can't easily travel.

Most Texans 20 and younger on Medicaid or CHIP get dental care through a managed care dental plan: DentaQuest, MCNA Dental or UnitedHealthcare Dental. Texas Health Steps helps families find a dentist at 1-877-847-8377, Monday through Friday.

DSHS also points people to 2-1-1 and to federally qualified health centers, some of which offer dental care. Complaints about quality of care go to TSBDE by its complaint form; it doesn't handle fee disputes or anonymous complaints. This page explains how the system works and isn't dental advice; ask a licensed dentist about your own treatment. See our El Paso guide for local services, or compare dentists in Lubbock.