Dental costs in North Dakota: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 32 located dental practices in North Dakota.

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 North Dakota

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, teenager	$3,703 – $4,415	$4,415	25	$4,415 – $5,660
Full braces, adult	$3,475 – $4,630	$4,039	25	$4,039 – $4,630
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,356 – $1,572	$1,470	30	$1,470 – $1,672
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$1,003 – $1,235	$1,167	28	$1,167 – $1,315
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$762 – $1,194	$1,084	27	$1,084 – $1,498
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$804 – $1,160	$1,062	28	$1,062 – $1,493
Full lower denture	$771 – $1,092	$948	29	$948 – $1,354
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$892 – $1,071	$938	29	$938 – $1,221
Full upper denture	$766 – $1,044	$935	28	$935 – $1,360
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$644 – $893	$795	29	$795 – $935
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$687 – $956	$786	31	$786 – $977
Root canal, molar	$631 – $799	$742	32	$742 – $980
All-ceramic crown	$450 – $870	$710	31	$710 – $974
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$541 – $852	$682	30	$682 – $1,075
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$553 – $768	$630	31	$630 – $914
Root canal, premolar	$500 – $629	$591	30	$591 – $807
Root canal, front tooth	$400 – $551	$519	31	$519 – $642
Bone graft at an implant site	$321 – $381	$339	26	$339 – $391
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$259 – $353	$324	29	$324 – $417
Hard night guard for grinding	$255 – $395	$319	29	$319 – $457
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$231 – $306	$280	31	$280 – $342
Surgical tooth extraction	$145 – $216	$193	32	$193 – $230
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$128 – $208	$181	31	$181 – $212
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$120 – $188	$158	31	$158 – $197
Core build-up under a crown	$102 – $168	$125	29	$125 – $220
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$83 – $131	$119	30	$119 – $144
Simple tooth extraction	$89 – $130	$111	31	$111 – $141
White filling, back tooth	$75 – $140	$106	30	$106 – $151
White filling, front tooth	$89 – $130	$105	32	$105 – $131
Full-mouth X-ray series	$82 – $108	$104	29	$104 – $130
Silver filling, two surfaces	$89 – $131	$101	32	$101 – $145
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$86 – $108	$96	27	$96 – $117
Silver filling, one surface	$71 – $111	$83	32	$83 – $122
Emergency visit for dental pain	$57 – $88	$68	32	$68 – $111
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$48 – $70	$60	27	$60 – $70
Adult teeth cleaning	$56 – $76	$60	27	$60 – $78
Child teeth cleaning	$42 – $56	$46	27	$46 – $57
Four bitewing X-rays	$37 – $51	$45	27	$45 – $53
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $42	$36	30	$36 – $46
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$32 – $42	$35	27	$35 – $43
Fluoride varnish treatment	$28 – $36	$31	26	$31 – $41

How North Dakota compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in North Dakota, 14 sit above the national median and 27 below. The widest gap downward is Core build-up under a crown at $125 against a national $173 (28% lower); the widest upward is Ceramic crown attached to an implant at $1,167 against $1,013 (15% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in North Dakota

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 $1,155. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,396.

Observed negotiated prices in North Dakota. 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	$3,475	$4,630	$1,155	25
Full braces, teenager	$3,703	$4,415	$712	25
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$762	$1,194	$432	27
All-ceramic crown	$450	$870	$420	31
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$804	$1,160	$356	28
Full lower denture	$771	$1,092	$321	29

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 North Dakota

North Dakota has 31 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 North Dakota

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

Fargo (35 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

Are these the prices I would pay in North Dakota without insurance?

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 25 to 32 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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