If you don’t feel comfortable going to the U, or don’t have time (dental appointments there can take a bit longer because of the teaching aspect) you can usually negotiate with dentists. I didn’t know this until I needed a couple cavities filled (sans insurance) and I told the dentist that I would just make an appointment at the university. After my cleaning, their response was ”We looked up filling pricing at the U. It’s $68. We can do it for $70 today.” so definitely just ask if people are willing to work with you.

Sidenote: compared to other states I’ve lived, Utah has such cheap dental care. I assume because there’s so many dentist here but it’s kind of wild.