Dental costs in Indiana: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 461 located dental practices in Indiana.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

461

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 Indiana

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	$3,672 – $4,626	$4,200	346	$4,200 – $5,800
Full braces, teenager	$3,492 – $4,401	$4,093	336	$4,093 – $5,800
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,292 – $1,624	$1,472	419	$1,472 – $1,950
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$840 – $1,144	$998	441	$998 – $1,265
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$828 – $1,142	$990	432	$990 – $1,255
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$845 – $1,144	$958	405	$958 – $1,300
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,058	$913	401	$913 – $1,203
Full upper denture	$716 – $1,045	$890	445	$890 – $1,198
Full lower denture	$715 – $1,029	$881	443	$881 – $1,169
All-ceramic crown	$651 – $890	$767	452	$767 – $962
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$654 – $853	$741	445	$741 – $953
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$613 – $838	$736	451	$736 – $925
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$636 – $859	$723	411	$723 – $957
Root canal, molar	$650 – $842	$712	454	$712 – $924
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$590 – $790	$670	458	$670 – $870
Root canal, premolar	$515 – $683	$568	454	$568 – $765
Root canal, front tooth	$442 – $587	$492	442	$492 – $657
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$277 – $354	$306	447	$306 – $401
Hard night guard for grinding	$249 – $346	$296	404	$296 – $395
Bone graft at an implant site	$230 – $370	$287	383	$287 – $435
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$233 – $306	$267	454	$267 – $341
Surgical tooth extraction	$148 – $212	$178	435	$178 – $235
Core build-up under a crown	$125 – $186	$156	447	$156 – $208
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$132 – $186	$156	448	$156 – $208
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$119 – $164	$143	446	$143 – $190
White filling, back tooth	$91 – $128	$109	447	$109 – $148
Silver filling, two surfaces	$88 – $120	$103	453	$103 – $141
Simple tooth extraction	$86 – $124	$102	452	$102 – $145
White filling, front tooth	$87 – $115	$97	450	$97 – $132
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$72 – $126	$96	451	$96 – $140
Full-mouth X-ray series	$81 – $102	$92	408	$92 – $109
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$81 – $103	$88	443	$88 – $119
Silver filling, one surface	$73 – $97	$84	440	$84 – $111
Emergency visit for dental pain	$51 – $74	$62	461	$62 – $89
Adult teeth cleaning	$56 – $70	$61	409	$61 – $79
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$47 – $62	$53	422	$53 – $71
Child teeth cleaning	$43 – $53	$46	416	$46 – $58
Four bitewing X-rays	$37 – $48	$43	412	$43 – $54
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$32 – $39	$34	448	$34 – $43
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$30 – $37	$33	406	$33 – $44
Fluoride varnish treatment	$25 – $30	$27	402	$27 – $34

How Indiana compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Indiana, 0 sit above the national median and 41 below. The widest gap downward is Hard night guard for grinding at $296 against a national $336 (12% lower); the widest upward is Implant post placed in the jaw at $1,472 against $1,500 (-2% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Indiana

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 $954. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,152.

Observed negotiated prices in Indiana. 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	$3,672	$4,626	$954	346
Full braces, teenager	$3,492	$4,401	$909	336
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,292	$1,624	$332	419
Full upper denture	$716	$1,045	$329	445
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$828	$1,142	$314	432
Full lower denture	$715	$1,029	$314	443

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 Indiana

Indiana has 474 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 Indiana

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 15 cities met that bar.

Indianapolis (41 priced)Fort Wayne (41 priced)South Bend (41 priced)Anderson (41 priced)Carmel (41 priced)Mishawaka (40 priced)Evansville (39 priced)Fishers (39 priced)Greenwood (38 priced)Crown Point (31 priced)Highland (29 priced)Merrillville (29 priced)Michigan City (28 priced)Lafayette (20 priced)Valparaiso (1 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 336 to 461 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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