The Harvard Dental Center is a "school within a school". Here, patients can obtain dental care from the Teaching Practice, where treatment is delivered by pre-doctoral dental students and dental residents or from the Faculty Group Practice, where Harvard faculty members provide care.

Founded in 1867, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), was the first University-based dental school in the United States. HSDM trains both pre-doctoral dental students and post-doctoral dental residents. The school is a national leader in dental education with graduates assuming leadership positions in the dental profession.

In 1996 the School of Dental Medicine expanded and remodeled the facility used by student dentists. Today, the Teaching Practice at the Harvard Dental Center is a state-of-the-art facility with well-equipped operatories and modern sterilization equipment.

Student dentists, supervised by Harvard faculty, provide affordable and comprehensive care to patients in the fields of General Dentistry, Periodontics, Prosthodontics (including Implant Dentistry), Endodontics, Orthodontics and Dental Hygiene. For many patients, the lower fees make it worth spending the extra time to receive quality care.

Also, in the Dental Center is the Faculty Group Practice. A multi-specialty group dental practice, the Faculty Group Practice combines general dentists, specialists in all areas of dental medicine and dental hygienists to provide a one-stop approach to treating patients. Thirty-six faculty members provide comprehensive dental care to 2,000 patients each month.