Dental costs in Delaware: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 58 located dental practices in Delaware.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

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 Delaware

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	$3,528 – $4,814	$3,800	45	$3,800 – $5,382
Full braces, teenager	$3,534 – $4,650	$3,798	45	$3,798 – $5,219
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,324 – $1,701	$1,462	58	$1,462 – $2,073
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$1,025 – $1,211	$1,094	54	$1,094 – $1,284
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$925 – $1,212	$1,073	53	$1,073 – $1,398
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$912 – $1,226	$1,072	48	$1,072 – $1,405
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$964 – $1,158	$1,067	53	$1,067 – $1,187
Full upper denture	$830 – $1,145	$958	48	$958 – $1,328
Full lower denture	$831 – $1,170	$958	49	$958 – $1,340
All-ceramic crown	$696 – $920	$806	50	$806 – $1,047
Root canal, molar	$712 – $883	$791	52	$791 – $974
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$719 – $933	$789	44	$789 – $1,027
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$712 – $892	$783	54	$783 – $960
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$652 – $852	$778	52	$778 – $894
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$599 – $839	$710	56	$710 – $951
Root canal, premolar	$553 – $700	$627	49	$627 – $797
Root canal, front tooth	$456 – $591	$532	47	$532 – $712
Hard night guard for grinding	$312 – $398	$354	48	$354 – $416
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$293 – $373	$338	41	$338 – $406
Bone graft at an implant site	$283 – $437	$323	50	$323 – $478
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$241 – $321	$276	45	$276 – $339
Surgical tooth extraction	$148 – $211	$170	50	$170 – $240
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$140 – $198	$167	52	$167 – $230
Core build-up under a crown	$129 – $207	$163	47	$163 – $225
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$126 – $174	$140	50	$140 – $191
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$98 – $142	$115	52	$115 – $157
White filling, back tooth	$96 – $136	$108	50	$108 – $150
White filling, front tooth	$92 – $127	$106	56	$106 – $138
Full-mouth X-ray series	$90 – $120	$98	51	$98 – $127
Silver filling, two surfaces	$88 – $131	$98	51	$98 – $140
Simple tooth extraction	$78 – $129	$98	51	$98 – $146
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$81 – $117	$95	52	$95 – $128
Silver filling, one surface	$71 – $102	$80	51	$80 – $112
Emergency visit for dental pain	$54 – $84	$68	49	$68 – $95
Adult teeth cleaning	$57 – $77	$64	53	$64 – $86
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$49 – $73	$59	49	$59 – $77
Four bitewing X-rays	$41 – $55	$47	54	$47 – $56
Child teeth cleaning	$41 – $55	$44	47	$44 – $60
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$31 – $45	$38	47	$38 – $47
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$31 – $42	$35	43	$35 – $45
Fluoride varnish treatment	$25 – $39	$31	52	$31 – $44

How Delaware compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Delaware, 16 sit above the national median and 25 below. The widest gap downward is Full braces, adult at $3,800 against a national $4,350 (13% lower); the widest upward is Ceramic crown on an implant abutment at $1,067 against $962 (11% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Delaware

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 $1,286. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,747.

Observed negotiated prices in Delaware. 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	$3,528	$4,814	$1,286	45
Full braces, teenager	$3,534	$4,650	$1,116	45
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,324	$1,701	$377	58
Full lower denture	$831	$1,170	$339	49
Full upper denture	$830	$1,145	$315	48
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$912	$1,226	$314	48

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 Delaware

Delaware has 13 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 Delaware

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 3 cities met that bar.

Wilmington (41 priced)Newark (40 priced)Dover (11 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

No. These are negotiated rates between dental plans and contracted practices in Delaware. 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 Delaware practices is this based on?

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 41 to 58 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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