Is dental treatment free at the faculty of dental medicine?

What is free at the faculty

At the dental faculties in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, patients are treated by final-year students, and a teacher checks every step of their work. The check-up there is free, and afterwards you decide whether to go on with treatment.

Treatment after the check-up is paid to the faculty at a fee it sets and collects. The fee is nominal but depends on the procedure and the faculty, so confirm it on site before treatment starts.

You also need to allow more time. A visit with a student takes longer, longer treatments are spread over several visits, and appointments are on weekdays only, on the faculty's teaching timetable. If you work and cannot get away during the day, weigh that first.

Each kind of treatment with a student has its own article: fillings, root canal treatment, tooth extraction, crowns and dentures and children's treatment.

What you pay, and to whom

• The faculty: the treatment fee, confirmed on site before treatment starts. The page “What treatment by a dental student costs” explains what the fee covers.
• UniDent: nothing for finding a student or sending a request.
• One exception: if you miss a confirmed visit without cancelling it, you may owe a no-show fee. If you cancel before the visit, there is no fee.
• Tests or X-rays done outside the faculty are paid where you have them.

UniDent helps you find a student, but it is not a healthcare provider and does not set prices, so it cannot guarantee them either. Each faculty has its own conditions and they change, so for your case ask the student and the faculty before treatment starts.

How to start

You can go straight to the faculty in your city and ask how they take patients, or send a short request through UniDent, with no account needed. In it you mark your city, the days and time of day you can come and, if you like, a few words on what is bothering you. Students in that city can see it, and if one of them can take your case, they call you to arrange a visit; only that student sees your number.

UniDent cannot promise that someone will take your case. If nobody does within 14 days, the request stops showing to students and you can send a new one. Whether a case suits a teaching clinic is decided at the faculty after the check-up.

What to ask before treatment starts

Costs are best settled before the first procedure. You can ask in your first call with the student and again on site at the faculty.

• Are there material costs for this case?
• Is there a fee payable on site, and how is it paid?
• Can the amount change if the plan changes after the check-up?

Questions

Is treatment free at the dental faculty?

Only the check-up is. Treatment after it is paid to the faculty at a nominal fee it sets, and you learn the exact amount on site before treatment starts.

Can I use the health fund (NZOK) at the faculty?

No, treatment with a student at the faculty does not go through the NZOK. You pay the fee the faculty sets, and the check-up before treatment is free.

How much is a filling at the faculty?

The faculty sets the fee for a filling. It is nominal but depends on the case and the faculty, so you learn the exact amount on site before treatment starts. The fillings article explains the treatment itself.

Are there free dentures for pensioners at the faculty?

No, at the faculty only the check-up is free. A denture is paid on the faculty's terms, and you learn the amount on site before work starts. See the article on crowns and dentures.

Do I pay UniDent anything?

No, you pay nothing for finding a student or sending a request. The only fee you could owe is for missing a confirmed visit without cancelling it.

You can start with the free check-up at the faculty, after which you know what treatment you are offered and what the fee for it is. Send a short request, and if a student at the faculty in your city can take your case, they will call you.