Dental costs in Maryland: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 568 located dental practices in Maryland.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

568

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 Maryland

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	$3,864 – $4,935	$4,248	442	$4,248 – $6,015
Full braces, teenager	$3,719 – $4,735	$4,200	426	$4,200 – $6,024
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,329 – $1,723	$1,486	556	$1,486 – $1,950
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$886 – $1,204	$1,043	537	$1,043 – $1,398
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$882 – $1,197	$1,042	528	$1,042 – $1,387
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$847 – $1,144	$1,025	517	$1,025 – $1,282
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,080	$956	518	$956 – $1,260
Full upper denture	$774 – $1,119	$955	536	$955 – $1,272
Full lower denture	$776 – $1,105	$938	553	$938 – $1,285
All-ceramic crown	$677 – $956	$826	557	$826 – $1,061
Root canal, molar	$684 – $924	$798	567	$798 – $1,063
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$684 – $898	$781	541	$781 – $1,011
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$672 – $890	$772	548	$772 – $1,022
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$636 – $892	$761	494	$761 – $1,051
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$616 – $831	$722	561	$722 – $927
Root canal, premolar	$533 – $730	$635	568	$635 – $822
Root canal, front tooth	$473 – $643	$552	538	$552 – $735
Hard night guard for grinding	$285 – $372	$333	481	$333 – $421
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$285 – $373	$329	532	$329 – $418
Bone graft at an implant site	$252 – $409	$297	462	$297 – $474
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$235 – $326	$284	549	$284 – $371
Surgical tooth extraction	$156 – $226	$194	541	$194 – $252
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$142 – $202	$175	529	$175 – $228
Core build-up under a crown	$128 – $201	$172	550	$172 – $235
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$125 – $175	$146	567	$146 – $201
Simple tooth extraction	$89 – $133	$115	544	$115 – $151
White filling, back tooth	$97 – $133	$113	552	$113 – $156
Silver filling, two surfaces	$97 – $128	$108	547	$108 – $147
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$84 – $134	$106	541	$106 – $163
White filling, front tooth	$91 – $123	$103	556	$103 – $141
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $113	$97	520	$97 – $128
Full-mouth X-ray series	$82 – $108	$94	504	$94 – $119
Silver filling, one surface	$78 – $100	$86	526	$86 – $114
Emergency visit for dental pain	$56 – $81	$66	545	$66 – $96
Adult teeth cleaning	$57 – $74	$65	526	$65 – $81
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$48 – $69	$59	516	$59 – $78
Child teeth cleaning	$44 – $55	$48	545	$48 – $61
Four bitewing X-rays	$38 – $50	$44	515	$44 – $57
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$31 – $42	$36	509	$36 – $47
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $42	$36	521	$36 – $46
Fluoride varnish treatment	$26 – $34	$29	496	$29 – $40

How Maryland compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Maryland, 12 sit above the national median and 29 below. The widest gap downward is Bone graft at an implant site at $297 against a national $317 (6% lower); the widest upward is Simple tooth extraction at $115 against $110 (5% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Maryland

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 $1,071. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,473.

Observed negotiated prices in Maryland. 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	$3,864	$4,935	$1,071	442
Full braces, teenager	$3,719	$4,735	$1,016	426
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,329	$1,723	$394	556
Full upper denture	$774	$1,119	$345	536
Full lower denture	$776	$1,105	$329	553
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$886	$1,204	$318	537

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 Maryland

Maryland has 165 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 Maryland

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 20 cities met that bar.

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 426 to 568 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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