The University of Pittsburgh Dental School offers a clinic where the general public can get dental treatment from students. The students are under the supervision of their faculty and everything they do is closely watched by instructors.
I used a similar clinic at another university years ago. Recently I decided to forego dental insurance and see if I could save money by getting treatment from students on a cash basis.
So far I think this is a good decision. Teeth cleaning is only $45 or so. It turns out I just chipped a tooth and need a crown, which is $475. That is not much more than the 50% you would typically pay in a private dental office with insurance.
The quality of the service so far is very good. My teeth cleaning was very thorough and the coffee stains on my teeth removed. I haven't had the crown yet so can't comment on that
The student dentists and instructors are all friendly and polite.
The one disadvantage is that you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time in the clinic. For the teeth cleaning, I was in the clinic about 3 hours. Just for the evaluation for the crown and an initial set of impressions, it was almost just as long. This is really a good option only for retired people or people with a lot of time on their hands.
If you're considering getting dental care on a cash basis, this clinic is a very good choice to consider. (Note; they also accept insurance).