Dental costs in Montana: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 61 located dental practices in Montana.

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 Montana

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	$4,200 – $5,326	$5,019	45	$5,019 – $5,539
Full braces, teenager	$4,188 – $5,079	$4,861	44	$4,861 – $5,282
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,501 – $1,820	$1,651	52	$1,651 – $1,887
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,057 – $1,398	$1,198	58	$1,198 – $1,506
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$972 – $1,355	$1,193	61	$1,193 – $1,516
Full upper denture	$952 – $1,250	$1,138	61	$1,138 – $1,352
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$857 – $1,258	$1,114	50	$1,114 – $1,354
Full lower denture	$978 – $1,180	$1,092	60	$1,092 – $1,311
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$850 – $1,182	$1,078	49	$1,078 – $1,246
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$812 – $1,060	$926	59	$926 – $1,162
Root canal, molar	$744 – $1,014	$864	58	$864 – $1,071
All-ceramic crown	$770 – $1,019	$857	60	$857 – $1,059
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$758 – $990	$838	50	$838 – $1,092
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$770 – $942	$835	60	$835 – $1,004
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$703 – $834	$767	60	$767 – $953
Root canal, premolar	$586 – $796	$668	58	$668 – $830
Root canal, front tooth	$490 – $686	$563	58	$563 – $727
Hard night guard for grinding	$342 – $391	$374	47	$374 – $444
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$321 – $394	$357	60	$357 – $414
Bone graft at an implant site	$255 – $403	$340	49	$340 – $447
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$286 – $347	$313	60	$313 – $368
Surgical tooth extraction	$170 – $238	$201	60	$201 – $267
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$165 – $220	$196	61	$196 – $235
Core build-up under a crown	$164 – $208	$188	61	$188 – $235
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$139 – $194	$164	57	$164 – $212
White filling, back tooth	$106 – $156	$134	59	$134 – $166
Silver filling, two surfaces	$106 – $141	$130	60	$130 – $151
Simple tooth extraction	$97 – $146	$123	59	$123 – $159
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$96 – $132	$120	59	$120 – $136
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$82 – $147	$119	61	$119 – $173
White filling, front tooth	$96 – $142	$114	60	$114 – $152
Silver filling, one surface	$88 – $116	$102	59	$102 – $125
Full-mouth X-ray series	$86 – $115	$98	59	$98 – $126
Emergency visit for dental pain	$65 – $101	$80	54	$80 – $126
Adult teeth cleaning	$66 – $82	$74	58	$74 – $94
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$52 – $68	$61	61	$61 – $71
Child teeth cleaning	$47 – $59	$52	59	$52 – $66
Four bitewing X-rays	$38 – $56	$45	61	$45 – $60
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$36 – $44	$40	60	$40 – $47
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$35 – $48	$38	58	$38 – $51
Fluoride varnish treatment	$28 – $36	$34	54	$34 – $39

How Montana compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Montana, 40 sit above the national median and 1 below. The widest gap downward is Four bitewing X-rays at $45 against a national $45 (0% lower); the widest upward is Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning at $120 against $96 (25% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Montana

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 $1,126. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,474.

Observed negotiated prices in Montana. 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	$4,200	$5,326	$1,126	45
Full braces, teenager	$4,188	$5,079	$891	44
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$857	$1,258	$401	50
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$972	$1,355	$383	61
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,057	$1,398	$341	58
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$850	$1,182	$332	49

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 Montana

Montana has 132 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 Montana

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

Billings (41 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 44 to 61 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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