Dental costs in District of Columbia: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 145 located dental practices in District of Columbia.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

145

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 District of Columbia

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	$3,304 – $4,718	$4,131	107	$4,131 – $5,103
Full braces, teenager	$3,288 – $4,573	$3,857	104	$3,857 – $5,041
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,317 – $1,779	$1,492	129	$1,492 – $2,059
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$851 – $1,202	$972	120	$972 – $1,489
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$600 – $1,158	$949	130	$949 – $1,289
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$600 – $1,153	$947	134	$947 – $1,287
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$793 – $1,051	$900	133	$900 – $1,376
Full upper denture	$475 – $1,062	$833	141	$833 – $1,197
Full lower denture	$465 – $1,043	$823	140	$823 – $1,200
All-ceramic crown	$440 – $871	$722	138	$722 – $972
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$476 – $816	$701	134	$701 – $976
Root canal, molar	$525 – $835	$696	145	$696 – $978
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$500 – $814	$689	135	$689 – $938
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$560 – $842	$676	125	$676 – $1,011
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$415 – $768	$616	140	$616 – $891
Root canal, premolar	$425 – $691	$577	143	$577 – $794
Root canal, front tooth	$373 – $586	$486	134	$486 – $696
Hard night guard for grinding	$265 – $351	$306	117	$306 – $409
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$240 – $348	$299	137	$299 – $393
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$147 – $312	$269	131	$269 – $350
Bone graft at an implant site	$223 – $369	$265	92	$265 – $467
Surgical tooth extraction	$126 – $210	$184	115	$184 – $239
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$122 – $188	$156	123	$156 – $213
Core build-up under a crown	$119 – $188	$154	126	$154 – $212
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$85 – $165	$136	133	$136 – $181
White filling, back tooth	$66 – $125	$99	141	$99 – $143
Silver filling, two surfaces	$55 – $124	$98	126	$98 – $135
Simple tooth extraction	$70 – $121	$93	138	$93 – $138
Full-mouth X-ray series	$81 – $104	$91	104	$91 – $116
White filling, front tooth	$60 – $114	$91	132	$91 – $128
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$50 – $120	$84	145	$84 – $139
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$58 – $106	$82	135	$82 – $118
Silver filling, one surface	$48 – $101	$79	129	$79 – $115
Emergency visit for dental pain	$40 – $73	$63	121	$63 – $86
Adult teeth cleaning	$51 – $67	$60	138	$60 – $76
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$44 – $64	$53	119	$53 – $71
Child teeth cleaning	$37 – $50	$45	129	$45 – $57
Four bitewing X-rays	$37 – $48	$42	111	$42 – $52
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$29 – $40	$34	124	$34 – $44
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$29 – $38	$33	108	$33 – $43
Fluoride varnish treatment	$25 – $33	$28	107	$28 – $39

How District of Columbia compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in District of Columbia, 0 sit above the national median and 41 below. The widest gap downward is Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant at $84 against a national $108 (22% lower); the widest upward is Implant post placed in the jaw at $1,492 against $1,500 (-1% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in District of Columbia

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 $1,414. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $4,975.

Observed negotiated prices in District of Columbia. 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	$3,304	$4,718	$1,414	107
Full braces, teenager	$3,288	$4,573	$1,285	104
Full upper denture	$475	$1,062	$587	141
Full lower denture	$465	$1,043	$578	140
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$600	$1,158	$558	130
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$600	$1,153	$553	134

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 District of Columbia

District of Columbia has 78 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 District of Columbia

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 1 city met that bar.

Washington (41 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

Are these the prices I would pay in District of Columbia without insurance?

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 92 to 145 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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