Dental costs in Colorado: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 614 located dental practices in Colorado.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

614

practices, best-covered treatment

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 Colorado

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	$3,752 – $4,447	$4,200	465	$4,200 – $4,868
Full braces, teenager	$3,578 – $4,240	$4,072	463	$4,072 – $4,696
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,291 – $1,574	$1,418	603	$1,418 – $1,950
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$840 – $1,165	$1,024	554	$1,024 – $1,251
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$850 – $1,144	$1,018	549	$1,018 – $1,263
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$845 – $1,144	$984	573	$984 – $1,245
Full upper denture	$750 – $1,104	$958	553	$958 – $1,200
Full lower denture	$715 – $1,102	$956	550	$956 – $1,196
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,050	$918	577	$918 – $1,131
All-ceramic crown	$718 – $944	$849	581	$849 – $1,021
Root canal, molar	$684 – $872	$801	569	$801 – $951
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$641 – $887	$767	584	$767 – $966
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$684 – $903	$763	584	$763 – $1,016
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$636 – $880	$754	553	$754 – $985
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$605 – $812	$719	598	$719 – $928
Root canal, premolar	$547 – $708	$631	581	$631 – $765
Root canal, front tooth	$476 – $610	$541	582	$541 – $673
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$279 – $376	$322	584	$322 – $438
Bone graft at an implant site	$262 – $405	$313	526	$313 – $458
Hard night guard for grinding	$283 – $351	$313	507	$313 – $387
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$233 – $317	$272	610	$272 – $375
Surgical tooth extraction	$160 – $229	$190	575	$190 – $250
Core build-up under a crown	$129 – $200	$173	614	$173 – $226
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$141 – $200	$172	551	$172 – $219
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$128 – $172	$146	573	$146 – $195
White filling, back tooth	$97 – $134	$115	568	$115 – $151
Simple tooth extraction	$90 – $132	$114	578	$114 – $150
Silver filling, two surfaces	$97 – $128	$108	568	$108 – $153
White filling, front tooth	$91 – $126	$104	589	$104 – $138
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$89 – $133	$104	592	$104 – $153
Full-mouth X-ray series	$82 – $105	$91	586	$91 – $112
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $109	$90	605	$90 – $120
Silver filling, one surface	$79 – $102	$86	570	$86 – $115
Adult teeth cleaning	$57 – $73	$65	554	$65 – $79
Emergency visit for dental pain	$60 – $82	$65	581	$65 – $92
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$46 – $66	$57	576	$57 – $74
Child teeth cleaning	$44 – $55	$47	584	$47 – $59
Four bitewing X-rays	$39 – $50	$44	581	$44 – $54
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $41	$36	583	$36 – $45
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$31 – $40	$33	569	$33 – $46
Fluoride varnish treatment	$26 – $32	$28	532	$28 – $37

How Colorado compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Colorado, 6 sit above the national median and 35 below. The widest gap downward is Routine check-up (returning patient) at $33 against a national $36 (8% lower); the widest upward is Simple tooth extraction at $114 against $110 (4% higher).

Comparisons use the national distribution on each treatment page, which lists every state side by side.

What shopping around is worth in Colorado

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, adult alone, the difference between a practice at the 25th percentile and one at the 75th is $695. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $2,722.

Observed negotiated prices in Colorado. 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, adult	$3,752	$4,447	$695	465
Full braces, teenager	$3,578	$4,240	$662	463
Full lower denture	$715	$1,102	$387	550
Full upper denture	$750	$1,104	$354	553
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$840	$1,165	$325	554
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$845	$1,144	$299	573

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 Colorado

Colorado has 266 federally funded health centre sites that charge on a sliding scale based on income. For most uninsured patients these are the cheapest option available. The federal dataset does not record which sites provide dentistry, so call and ask about dental services before travelling. City pages below list the sites in each place.

Cities in Colorado

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 17 cities met that bar.

Fort Collins (41 priced)Denver (41 priced)Littleton (41 priced)Centennial (41 priced)Lakewood (41 priced)Colorado Springs (41 priced)Grand Junction (41 priced)Aurora (41 priced)Pueblo (41 priced)Boulder (41 priced)Loveland (41 priced)Westminster (41 priced)Greeley (37 priced)Durango (34 priced)Brighton (34 priced)Thornton (32 priced)Arvada (22 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

Are these the prices I would pay in Colorado without insurance?

No. These are negotiated rates between dental plans and contracted practices in Colorado. Uninsured patients are generally quoted at or above the top of each range. The estimated self-pay column is labelled as an estimate for exactly that reason — see the methodology.

How many Colorado practices is this based on?

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 463 to 614 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

Because fewer than 15 located practices in Colorado carried a negotiated rate for it in our source files. We leave it out rather than scale a national average to look local.