Dental costs in Missouri: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 490 located dental practices in Missouri.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

490

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 Missouri

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 – $4,722	$4,217	365	$4,217 – $5,277
Full braces, teenager	$3,703 – $4,502	$4,114	349	$4,114 – $5,160
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,332 – $1,710	$1,482	465	$1,482 – $1,928
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$841 – $1,154	$1,011	471	$1,011 – $1,371
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$865 – $1,190	$1,010	436	$1,010 – $1,439
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$829 – $1,144	$1,008	457	$1,008 – $1,350
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,121	$942	452	$942 – $1,280
Full upper denture	$750 – $1,084	$920	471	$920 – $1,290
Full lower denture	$715 – $1,052	$918	460	$918 – $1,236
All-ceramic crown	$677 – $904	$812	468	$812 – $1,036
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$641 – $860	$755	471	$755 – $956
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$671 – $855	$752	459	$752 – $1,001
Root canal, molar	$674 – $894	$745	476	$745 – $975
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$636 – $837	$720	436	$720 – $934
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$602 – $817	$712	479	$712 – $921
Root canal, premolar	$515 – $712	$605	462	$605 – $774
Root canal, front tooth	$444 – $618	$524	473	$524 – $675
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$277 – $348	$310	474	$310 – $406
Hard night guard for grinding	$268 – $366	$310	427	$310 – $397
Bone graft at an implant site	$244 – $408	$291	423	$291 – $466
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$233 – $303	$268	483	$268 – $341
Surgical tooth extraction	$148 – $215	$179	469	$179 – $248
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$134 – $199	$172	468	$172 – $217
Core build-up under a crown	$132 – $200	$164	482	$164 – $225
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$125 – $173	$148	485	$148 – $200
White filling, back tooth	$97 – $131	$112	489	$112 – $154
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$89 – $130	$105	476	$105 – $153
Simple tooth extraction	$86 – $129	$104	472	$104 – $147
Silver filling, two surfaces	$88 – $126	$102	453	$102 – $145
White filling, front tooth	$90 – $122	$101	469	$101 – $138
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $108	$95	490	$95 – $122
Full-mouth X-ray series	$85 – $106	$92	459	$92 – $116
Silver filling, one surface	$71 – $100	$84	455	$84 – $113
Emergency visit for dental pain	$56 – $82	$68	482	$68 – $95
Adult teeth cleaning	$57 – $74	$67	468	$67 – $81
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$48 – $66	$56	464	$56 – $75
Child teeth cleaning	$43 – $55	$49	486	$49 – $60
Four bitewing X-rays	$38 – $50	$44	452	$44 – $54
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $40	$36	480	$36 – $46
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$31 – $40	$34	444	$34 – $45
Fluoride varnish treatment	$24 – $33	$27	445	$27 – $38

How Missouri compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Missouri, 0 sit above the national median and 41 below. The widest gap downward is Bone graft at an implant site at $291 against a national $317 (8% lower); the widest upward is Dental sealant (per tooth) at $36 against $36 (0% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Missouri

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 $899. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,072.

Observed negotiated prices in Missouri. 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	$4,722	$899	365
Full braces, teenager	$3,703	$4,502	$799	349
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,332	$1,710	$378	465
Full lower denture	$715	$1,052	$337	460
Full upper denture	$750	$1,084	$334	471
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$865	$1,190	$325	436

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 Missouri

Missouri has 471 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 Missouri

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 16 cities met that bar.

Kansas City (41 priced)Independence (41 priced)Saint Louis (41 priced)Springfield (41 priced)Chesterfield (41 priced)O Fallon (40 priced)Saint Joseph (39 priced)Sedalia (39 priced)Columbia (39 priced)St Louis (29 priced)Lees Summit (29 priced)Blue Springs (11 priced)Raytown (8 priced)Saint Peters (3 priced)Wentzville (2 priced)Joplin (1 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 349 to 490 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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