Dental costs in Boulder, CO: local dentist prices

Observed negotiated prices for 41 treatments from dental practices located in Boulder.

Treatments priced

in this city

Largest sample

practices

State

Colorado

see statewide data

Observed dataObserved negotiated rates. Every figure here is a real negotiated amount taken from payer files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule. These are what a dental plan pays a contracted practice - not a cash price.

Estimated self-payEstimated self-pay range, not an observation. We do not have observed cash prices, and we will not present a modelled number as though we did. This range is the upper half of the same observed negotiated distribution, shown because an uninsured patient generally pays at or above the highest negotiated tier. Treat it as a budgeting aid and ask any practice for a written quote.

Observed prices in Boulder

Negotiated columns are observed. The self-pay column is an estimate derived from the upper half of the same distribution — see methodology. Column headings sort the table.
Treatment	Negotiated range Observed	Median	Practices (n)	Est. self-pay Estimated
Full braces, adult	$3,596 – $4,200	$4,017	10	$4,017 – $4,994
Full braces, teenager	$3,472 – $4,200	$3,831	10	$3,831 – $4,786
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,291 – $1,629	$1,423	13	$1,423 – $1,668
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$845 – $1,153	$1,004	12	$1,004 – $1,294
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,125	$941	12	$941 – $1,175
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$828 – $1,073	$936	12	$936 – $1,140
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$840 – $1,083	$933	12	$933 – $1,163
Full upper denture	$750 – $1,040	$911	12	$911 – $1,102
Full lower denture	$738 – $1,034	$908	12	$908 – $1,116
All-ceramic crown	$723 – $899	$790	12	$790 – $956
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$684 – $900	$775	12	$775 – $933
Root canal, molar	$684 – $834	$752	12	$752 – $867
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$641 – $858	$730	12	$730 – $939
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$595 – $796	$689	12	$689 – $931
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$636 – $778	$684	11	$684 – $850
Root canal, premolar	$553 – $679	$625	12	$625 – $683
Root canal, front tooth	$490 – $590	$526	12	$526 – $602
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$279 – $342	$324	12	$324 – $379
Bone graft at an implant site	$282 – $388	$301	11	$301 – $417
Hard night guard for grinding	$255 – $370	$285	11	$285 – $402
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$233 – $278	$260	13	$260 – $301
Surgical tooth extraction	$158 – $205	$175	12	$175 – $206
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$149 – $187	$157	12	$157 – $205
Core build-up under a crown	$125 – $188	$155	13	$155 – $204
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$127 – $156	$134	12	$134 – $195
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$89 – $121	$109	12	$109 – $128
Simple tooth extraction	$89 – $115	$105	12	$105 – $127
White filling, back tooth	$97 – $117	$103	12	$103 – $157
White filling, front tooth	$92 – $117	$102	12	$102 – $138
Silver filling, two surfaces	$91 – $116	$97	12	$97 – $137
Full-mouth X-ray series	$77 – $95	$88	12	$88 – $97
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $104	$88	12	$88 – $110
Silver filling, one surface	$73 – $94	$79	12	$79 – $109
Emergency visit for dental pain	$60 – $70	$62	12	$62 – $82
Adult teeth cleaning	$56 – $69	$58	12	$58 – $78
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$44 – $58	$49	12	$49 – $71
Four bitewing X-rays	$39 – $48	$44	12	$44 – $57
Child teeth cleaning	$44 – $52	$44	12	$44 – $59
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$32 – $39	$34	12	$34 – $41
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$29 – $33	$31	12	$31 – $43
Fluoride varnish treatment	$26 – $32	$27	11	$27 – $37

Boulder compared with Colorado

Across the 41 treatments we can price in both Boulder and Colorado as a whole, 6 run above the state median and 35 below. The largest local saving is on Comprehensive exam (new patient): $49 here against $57 statewide.

See the Colorado state page for the full statewide picture and every other published city.

What shopping around is worth in Boulder

Every figure on this site is a distribution, not an average, so the gap between the cheaper and dearer end of the local market can be stated in dollars. On Full braces, teenager alone, the difference between a practice at the 25th percentile and one at the 75th is $728. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $2,570.

Observed negotiated prices in Boulder, CO. The gap is what moving from an expensive practice to a cheaper one is worth for the same treatment.
Treatment	Lower end (25th)	Upper end (75th)	Gap	Practices (n)
Full braces, teenager	$3,472	$4,200	$728	10
Full braces, adult	$3,596	$4,200	$604	10
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,291	$1,629	$338	13
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$845	$1,153	$308	12
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829	$1,125	$296	12
Full lower denture	$738	$1,034	$296	12

This is an argument for collecting itemised written quotes rather than accepting the first, particularly on the larger items — see how to read a treatment plan.

Lower-cost care in Boulder

These are federally funded health centres in Boulder. They charge on a sliding scale based on your income, which usually makes them the cheapest route if you are uninsured. The federal dataset does not record which sites provide dentistry — many do, but call first and ask specifically about dental services and sliding-scale eligibility.

Active federally funded health centre sites in Boulder. Source: HRSA.
Health centre	Address	Contact
Boulder Shelter For The Homeless	4869 Broadway St	(303) 442-4646 · Website
Clinica Family Health & Wellness -- Halcyon School	3100 Bucknell Ct	(303) 650-4460
Clinica Family Health & Wellness -- Norton Center for Behavioral Medicine	975 North St	(303) 650-4460
Clinica Family Health - MHP Alpine	1000 Alpine Ave	(303) 443-8500 · Website
Clinica Family Health - People's	2525 13th St	(303) 449-6050 · Website
Columbine Elementary School	3130 Repplier St	(303) 650-4460 · Website
University Hill Elementary School	956 16th St	(303) 650-4460 · Website

Colorado has 266 such sites statewide — see the Colorado page.

Other cities in Colorado

Fort Collins Denver Littleton Centennial Lakewood Colorado Springs Grand Junction Aurora Pueblo Loveland Westminster Greeley Durango Brighton Thornton Arvada

Colorado overview · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

How many Boulder practices are behind these figures?

Between 10 and 13 depending on the treatment, shown per row above. A Boulder figure is published only when at least 8 separate practices in the city carried a negotiated rate for it.

Will a Boulder dentist charge me these amounts?

Not if you are paying cash. These are rates negotiated between plans and contracted practices in Boulder. Uninsured patients are normally quoted higher. Ask any practice for an itemised written quote — that is the only number that binds them.