Dental costs in Louisiana: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 343 located dental practices in Louisiana.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

343

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 Louisiana

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	$3,639 – $4,711	$3,991	216	$3,991 – $5,373
Full braces, teenager	$3,470 – $4,507	$3,805	211	$3,805 – $5,150
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,265 – $1,687	$1,443	310	$1,443 – $2,289
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$838 – $1,188	$1,020	336	$1,020 – $1,280
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$831 – $1,168	$1,008	326	$1,008 – $1,280
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$849 – $1,168	$982	305	$982 – $1,834
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$806 – $1,116	$943	293	$943 – $1,614
Full upper denture	$697 – $1,100	$905	327	$905 – $1,235
Full lower denture	$691 – $1,075	$896	325	$896 – $1,207
All-ceramic crown	$647 – $900	$794	311	$794 – $1,009
Root canal, molar	$630 – $854	$752	323	$752 – $990
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$621 – $868	$750	338	$750 – $964
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$600 – $840	$734	325	$734 – $950
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$613 – $838	$730	337	$730 – $1,012
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$614 – $814	$721	311	$721 – $904
Root canal, premolar	$500 – $699	$590	322	$590 – $800
Root canal, front tooth	$433 – $613	$526	334	$526 – $702
Hard night guard for grinding	$262 – $374	$305	316	$305 – $399
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$272 – $334	$298	332	$298 – $385
Bone graft at an implant site	$224 – $423	$293	275	$293 – $457
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$234 – $290	$263	343	$263 – $330
Surgical tooth extraction	$139 – $203	$170	334	$170 – $240
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$134 – $193	$168	334	$168 – $224
Core build-up under a crown	$134 – $190	$164	338	$164 – $213
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$122 – $174	$147	324	$147 – $203
White filling, back tooth	$95 – $134	$114	311	$114 – $156
Silver filling, two surfaces	$84 – $128	$107	333	$107 – $144
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$83 – $130	$105	331	$105 – $148
White filling, front tooth	$84 – $120	$102	325	$102 – $132
Simple tooth extraction	$79 – $118	$97	331	$97 – $147
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$77 – $104	$92	318	$92 – $118
Full-mouth X-ray series	$81 – $101	$90	315	$90 – $119
Silver filling, one surface	$70 – $104	$87	335	$87 – $115
Emergency visit for dental pain	$49 – $76	$64	338	$64 – $97
Adult teeth cleaning	$52 – $74	$62	315	$62 – $86
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$44 – $64	$50	325	$50 – $75
Child teeth cleaning	$41 – $55	$47	302	$47 – $60
Four bitewing X-rays	$38 – $49	$44	315	$44 – $55
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$32 – $39	$34	319	$34 – $44
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$27 – $38	$32	302	$32 – $44
Fluoride varnish treatment	$23 – $32	$27	320	$27 – $39

How Louisiana compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Louisiana, 0 sit above the national median and 41 below. The widest gap downward is Comprehensive exam (new patient) at $50 against a national $58 (14% lower); the widest upward is Porcelain veneer (per tooth) at $750 against $750 (0% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Louisiana

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 $1,072. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,668.

Observed negotiated prices in Louisiana. 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	$3,639	$4,711	$1,072	216
Full braces, teenager	$3,470	$4,507	$1,037	211
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,265	$1,687	$422	310
Full upper denture	$697	$1,100	$403	327
Full lower denture	$691	$1,075	$384	325
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$838	$1,188	$350	336

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 Louisiana

Louisiana has 527 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 Louisiana

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 12 cities met that bar.

Mandeville (41 priced)Metairie (41 priced)Baton Rouge (41 priced)Barksdale Afb (41 priced)Shreveport (41 priced)New Orleans (41 priced)Slidell (39 priced)Lafayette (39 priced)Gretna (37 priced)Baker (34 priced)Covington (14 priced)Houma (2 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 211 to 343 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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