Dental costs in New Mexico: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 161 located dental practices in New Mexico.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

161

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 New Mexico

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	$3,866 – $5,022	$4,385	115	$4,385 – $5,852
Full braces, teenager	$3,800 – $4,974	$4,157	116	$4,157 – $5,800
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,228 – $1,588	$1,414	149	$1,414 – $1,763
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$906 – $1,142	$1,060	160	$1,060 – $1,317
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$913 – $1,144	$1,056	153	$1,056 – $1,337
Full upper denture	$851 – $1,090	$972	159	$972 – $1,311
Full lower denture	$832 – $1,081	$965	151	$965 – $1,242
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$812 – $1,088	$922	140	$922 – $1,172
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$798 – $1,016	$903	141	$903 – $1,119
All-ceramic crown	$697 – $914	$822	151	$822 – $990
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$689 – $908	$784	161	$784 – $1,019
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$660 – $840	$782	151	$782 – $932
Root canal, molar	$660 – $892	$778	158	$778 – $978
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$672 – $844	$766	137	$766 – $1,012
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$626 – $786	$706	160	$706 – $866
Root canal, premolar	$515 – $678	$604	154	$604 – $773
Root canal, front tooth	$438 – $580	$516	146	$516 – $650
Hard night guard for grinding	$270 – $377	$337	136	$337 – $413
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$275 – $351	$317	146	$317 – $393
Bone graft at an implant site	$243 – $414	$286	135	$286 – $467
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$236 – $316	$276	156	$276 – $351
Surgical tooth extraction	$157 – $207	$187	160	$187 – $237
Core build-up under a crown	$138 – $188	$170	153	$170 – $211
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$150 – $201	$170	158	$170 – $224
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$128 – $171	$150	146	$150 – $192
White filling, back tooth	$98 – $133	$114	155	$114 – $148
Silver filling, two surfaces	$90 – $120	$108	155	$108 – $135
Simple tooth extraction	$81 – $124	$108	147	$108 – $139
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$86 – $126	$102	155	$102 – $154
White filling, front tooth	$86 – $118	$101	153	$101 – $137
Full-mouth X-ray series	$84 – $103	$92	140	$92 – $110
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $106	$91	149	$91 – $120
Silver filling, one surface	$70 – $98	$88	146	$88 – $110
Emergency visit for dental pain	$56 – $78	$68	155	$68 – $92
Adult teeth cleaning	$56 – $72	$64	153	$64 – $83
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$47 – $65	$56	144	$56 – $73
Child teeth cleaning	$40 – $52	$47	152	$47 – $61
Four bitewing X-rays	$38 – $48	$43	138	$43 – $53
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$31 – $38	$35	158	$35 – $44
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$29 – $39	$34	147	$34 – $47
Fluoride varnish treatment	$25 – $31	$28	140	$28 – $34

How New Mexico compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in New Mexico, 4 sit above the national median and 37 below. The widest gap downward is Bone graft at an implant site at $286 against a national $317 (10% lower); the widest upward is Porcelain veneer (per tooth) at $766 against $750 (2% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in New Mexico

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 $1,174. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,454.

Observed negotiated prices in New Mexico. 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	$3,800	$4,974	$1,174	116
Full braces, adult	$3,866	$5,022	$1,156	115
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,228	$1,588	$360	149
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$812	$1,088	$276	140
Full lower denture	$832	$1,081	$249	151
Full upper denture	$851	$1,090	$239	159

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 New Mexico

New Mexico has 241 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 New Mexico

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 4 cities met that bar.

Farmington (41 priced)Rio Rancho (41 priced)Albuquerque (41 priced)Santa Fe (22 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

Are these the prices I would pay in New Mexico without insurance?

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 115 to 161 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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