Dental costs in Maine: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 60 located dental practices in Maine.

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 Maine

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	$4,028 – $5,228	$4,772	51	$4,772 – $6,100
Full braces, teenager	$3,842 – $5,130	$4,622	51	$4,622 – $6,100
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,519 – $2,076	$1,709	53	$1,709 – $2,101
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,046 – $1,511	$1,358	51	$1,358 – $1,560
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$1,031 – $1,442	$1,353	51	$1,353 – $1,511
Full upper denture	$991 – $1,383	$1,246	55	$1,246 – $1,483
Full lower denture	$960 – $1,358	$1,189	51	$1,189 – $1,420
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$1,077 – $1,329	$1,135	51	$1,135 – $1,385
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$952 – $1,286	$1,112	54	$1,112 – $1,351
All-ceramic crown	$794 – $1,086	$1,018	53	$1,018 – $1,125
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$842 – $1,122	$995	50	$995 – $1,227
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$746 – $1,041	$984	56	$984 – $1,078
Root canal, molar	$744 – $1,104	$966	52	$966 – $1,121
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$790 – $1,064	$908	55	$908 – $1,099
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$710 – $966	$886	52	$886 – $1,011
Root canal, premolar	$625 – $844	$766	59	$766 – $872
Root canal, front tooth	$508 – $733	$668	54	$668 – $748
Hard night guard for grinding	$320 – $452	$382	45	$382 – $468
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$326 – $437	$381	47	$381 – $467
Bone graft at an implant site	$258 – $384	$329	48	$329 – $431
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$288 – $376	$320	54	$320 – $411
Surgical tooth extraction	$189 – $237	$215	54	$215 – $260
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$186 – $232	$212	53	$212 – $251
Core build-up under a crown	$177 – $230	$204	48	$204 – $247
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$143 – $203	$186	49	$186 – $213
Silver filling, two surfaces	$108 – $163	$141	52	$141 – $172
Simple tooth extraction	$112 – $146	$138	47	$138 – $148
White filling, back tooth	$121 – $160	$134	54	$134 – $161
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$100 – $155	$128	58	$128 – $168
White filling, front tooth	$107 – $142	$127	57	$127 – $150
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$94 – $136	$118	50	$118 – $137
Silver filling, one surface	$90 – $129	$115	47	$115 – $137
Full-mouth X-ray series	$102 – $126	$113	57	$113 – $128
Emergency visit for dental pain	$66 – $101	$91	52	$91 – $112
Adult teeth cleaning	$68 – $87	$76	47	$76 – $93
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$61 – $74	$70	57	$70 – $78
Child teeth cleaning	$51 – $62	$57	49	$57 – $71
Four bitewing X-rays	$46 – $58	$52	60	$52 – $60
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$37 – $46	$42	50	$42 – $54
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$37 – $44	$41	52	$41 – $50
Fluoride varnish treatment	$33 – $41	$37	53	$37 – $45

How Maine compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Maine, 41 sit above the national median and 0 below. The widest gap downward is Bone graft at an implant site at $329 against a national $317 (4% lower); the widest upward is Emergency visit for dental pain at $91 against $69 (32% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Maine

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, teenager alone, the difference between a practice at the 25th percentile and one at the 75th is $1,288. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $4,319.

Observed negotiated prices in Maine. 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, teenager	$3,842	$5,130	$1,288	51
Full braces, adult	$4,028	$5,228	$1,200	51
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,519	$2,076	$557	53
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,046	$1,511	$465	51
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$1,031	$1,442	$411	51
Full lower denture	$960	$1,358	$398	51

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 Maine

Maine has 182 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 Maine

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

Portland (38 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 45 to 60 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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