Frequently Asked Questions

Nobel Biocare Oral Health Centre (NBOHC)
2151 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC

The NBOHC is situated at University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall. The main entrance is accessed off of Wesbrook Mall, near the corner. Please note that the parking lot below the building has limited space. When parking in another location, allow additional time to arrive at your appointment.

Pay Parking
Visit the UBC Parking site for up-to-date parking information around campus.

Public Transit
UBC is easily accessible by public transit. Visit the How to Get to UBC site to plan your trip.

Monday to Friday
8:00 am - 12:30 pm and 2:00 - 5:00 pm

Treatment hours may vary according to the program.

The clinic is open during the academic year from the end of August until the end of June, although our programs have staggered finish dates.

We are generally closed from the second week in December to the first working day after the New Year. We operate an urgent care clinic for UBC patients only during this time and the summer hiatus.

Request a screening appointment by filling out the Patient Contact Form available at the bottom of each service area. Visit the How to Become a Patient page for details. After we review your request, you may be asked to come for a screening appointment.

The screening appointment is a visual assessment of a person’s oral health needs. We do not select patients based on their income; selection is based strictly on needs and our ability to attend to those needs depending on the educational goals of the programs at UBC.

Assignment to a dental/dental hygiene student or graduate student to commence treatment could be immediate, or treatment may not begin for a while (up to several months). The waiting period depends on when you were screened, your oral health needs, and student availability. Screening appointments take place throughout each semester.

The clinic offers urgent care services to relieve the pain of non-registered patients. This clinic runs by appointment only.

The dental students perform a full range of general dentistry, including basic preventative, restorative work and oral surgery (extractions, including wisdom teeth).

Dental hygiene students provide dental hygiene procedures, including custom-fit sports guards (mouth guards).

The graduate programs include endodontics (root canal therapy), pediatric dentistry (children), periodontics (treatment of gum disease and gum surgery), prosthodontics (crown, bridge, partial and full dentures) and orthodontics (teeth straightening).

Yes, children requiring more advanced care are seen by the pediatric dentistry program and accepted as patients in the dental program. For more information regarding becoming a patient, contact your local health unit to see if they participate in this program.

Qualified licensed dental/dental hygiene practitioners and faculty members strictly supervise all work performed by students. However, appointment times are longer than one would normally find at a private dental office.

The clinic operates at reduced fees, approximately 20 to 40% less than those in the BC Dental Association Fee Guide. It is important to note that there are UBC fee guides for both undergraduate programs (dental and dental hygiene) and graduate programs (specialty training). The appropriate fees will apply depending on whether a student dentist/dental hygienist or a graduate student performs the treatment.

Patients with dental insurance are responsible for paying their accounts to the clinic directly. They will later be reimbursed by their dental plan, except for those with Blue Cross Insurance coverage. Patients who qualify for government assistance should obtain the necessary authorization of eligibility before treatment begins. The clinic will collect from the government agency directly.

Payment is required when treatment is complete, and we do not offer any payment plans. In the case of major dental treatment that involves fabrication at a dental laboratory (crown, bridges, etc.), half of the total fee is required before the item goes to the lab (plus a previous outstanding balance), and the other half is required upon placement of the procedure.

Dental insurance claims fall into two general categories. For more information, visit the Dental Insurance section on the How to Become a Patient page.