Dental costs in Kentucky: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 460 located dental practices in Kentucky.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

460

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 Kentucky

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	$3,823 – $5,401	$4,314	365	$4,314 – $6,274
Full braces, teenager	$3,645 – $5,000	$3,961	357	$3,961 – $6,274
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,278 – $2,000	$1,531	419	$1,531 – $2,289
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$853 – $1,186	$1,018	446	$1,018 – $1,426
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$850 – $1,183	$1,018	446	$1,018 – $1,412
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$818 – $1,313	$950	416	$950 – $1,614
Full lower denture	$688 – $1,062	$923	448	$923 – $1,313
Full upper denture	$713 – $1,071	$919	454	$919 – $1,278
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$808 – $1,428	$916	410	$916 – $1,834
All-ceramic crown	$690 – $950	$824	450	$824 – $1,035
Root canal, molar	$654 – $950	$778	435	$778 – $986
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$629 – $905	$753	448	$753 – $975
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$637 – $879	$750	446	$750 – $1,024
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$605 – $849	$723	426	$723 – $944
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$630 – $859	$701	436	$701 – $950
Root canal, premolar	$531 – $708	$623	449	$623 – $813
Root canal, front tooth	$449 – $615	$534	439	$534 – $686
Hard night guard for grinding	$250 – $386	$339	419	$339 – $420
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$270 – $374	$310	453	$310 – $475
Bone graft at an implant site	$236 – $423	$294	379	$294 – $428
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$227 – $324	$264	448	$264 – $393
Surgical tooth extraction	$146 – $222	$174	448	$174 – $250
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$134 – $200	$172	458	$172 – $233
Core build-up under a crown	$140 – $194	$160	460	$160 – $230
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$126 – $174	$152	407	$152 – $213
White filling, back tooth	$99 – $131	$119	397	$119 – $159
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$89 – $127	$107	447	$107 – $157
Silver filling, two surfaces	$88 – $133	$106	429	$106 – $163
White filling, front tooth	$88 – $125	$103	442	$103 – $139
Simple tooth extraction	$84 – $125	$102	453	$102 – $150
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$83 – $118	$96	425	$96 – $132
Full-mouth X-ray series	$85 – $108	$95	419	$95 – $120
Silver filling, one surface	$72 – $109	$86	435	$86 – $129
Adult teeth cleaning	$56 – $78	$67	406	$67 – $82
Emergency visit for dental pain	$54 – $82	$65	454	$65 – $95
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$47 – $66	$57	430	$57 – $75
Child teeth cleaning	$43 – $57	$50	416	$50 – $62
Four bitewing X-rays	$38 – $50	$43	414	$43 – $54
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$30 – $41	$36	453	$36 – $49
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$30 – $42	$35	411	$35 – $44
Fluoride varnish treatment	$24 – $33	$28	405	$28 – $41

How Kentucky compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Kentucky, 3 sit above the national median and 38 below. The widest gap downward is Ceramic crown attached to an implant at $916 against a national $1,013 (10% lower); the widest upward is Implant post placed in the jaw at $1,531 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 Kentucky

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 $1,578. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $5,144.

Observed negotiated prices in Kentucky. 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	$3,823	$5,401	$1,578	365
Full braces, teenager	$3,645	$5,000	$1,355	357
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,278	$2,000	$722	419
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$808	$1,428	$620	410
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$818	$1,313	$495	416
Full lower denture	$688	$1,062	$374	448

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 Kentucky

Kentucky has 632 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 Kentucky

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 7 cities met that bar.

Bowling Green (41 priced)Lexington (41 priced)Louisville (41 priced)Elizabethtown (41 priced)Nicholasville (39 priced)Prestonsburg (37 priced)Somerset (20 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 357 to 460 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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