Dental costs in Pennsylvania: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 1,339 located dental practices in Pennsylvania.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

1,339

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 Pennsylvania

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	$3,449 – $4,474	$3,929	1,089	$3,929 – $5,008
Full braces, teenager	$3,288 – $4,283	$3,809	1,079	$3,809 – $4,889
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,291 – $1,606	$1,403	1,282	$1,403 – $1,763
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$870 – $1,164	$1,022	1,293	$1,022 – $1,311
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$861 – $1,155	$1,014	1,285	$1,014 – $1,314
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$863 – $1,144	$995	1,291	$995 – $1,287
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,104	$943	1,292	$943 – $1,208
Full upper denture	$751 – $1,080	$933	1,306	$933 – $1,235
Full lower denture	$728 – $1,068	$919	1,281	$919 – $1,214
All-ceramic crown	$672 – $903	$802	1,312	$802 – $1,008
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$641 – $847	$749	1,291	$749 – $938
Root canal, molar	$649 – $852	$749	1,324	$749 – $938
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$643 – $853	$739	1,337	$739 – $975
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$606 – $812	$718	1,316	$718 – $900
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$560 – $824	$709	1,301	$709 – $956
Root canal, premolar	$514 – $685	$604	1,325	$604 – $770
Root canal, front tooth	$438 – $594	$515	1,318	$515 – $672
Bone graft at an implant site	$260 – $416	$333	1,101	$333 – $476
Hard night guard for grinding	$266 – $370	$317	1,134	$317 – $407
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$277 – $356	$314	1,311	$314 – $410
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$232 – $302	$264	1,314	$264 – $354
Surgical tooth extraction	$148 – $212	$180	1,310	$180 – $240
Core build-up under a crown	$140 – $200	$170	1,339	$170 – $227
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$135 – $193	$166	1,311	$166 – $211
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$123 – $170	$144	1,312	$144 – $193
White filling, back tooth	$93 – $132	$111	1,302	$111 – $148
Simple tooth extraction	$85 – $126	$106	1,284	$106 – $144
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$86 – $131	$105	1,335	$105 – $149
Silver filling, two surfaces	$87 – $124	$104	1,312	$104 – $150
White filling, front tooth	$86 – $120	$101	1,298	$101 – $135
Full-mouth X-ray series	$81 – $104	$92	1,172	$92 – $114
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$78 – $104	$90	1,298	$90 – $119
Silver filling, one surface	$71 – $99	$84	1,298	$84 – $114
Emergency visit for dental pain	$56 – $80	$68	1,221	$68 – $95
Adult teeth cleaning	$55 – $72	$64	1,318	$64 – $80
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$46 – $65	$55	1,239	$55 – $74
Child teeth cleaning	$41 – $54	$47	1,302	$47 – $59
Four bitewing X-rays	$38 – $50	$44	1,184	$44 – $55
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$30 – $40	$35	1,301	$35 – $46
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$29 – $40	$34	1,158	$34 – $44
Fluoride varnish treatment	$24 – $33	$28	1,166	$28 – $38

How Pennsylvania compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Pennsylvania, 1 sit above the national median and 40 below. The widest gap downward is Full braces, adult at $3,929 against a national $4,350 (10% lower); the widest upward is Bone graft at an implant site at $333 against $317 (5% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Pennsylvania

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 $1,025. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,298.

Observed negotiated prices in Pennsylvania. 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	$3,449	$4,474	$1,025	1,089
Full braces, teenager	$3,288	$4,283	$995	1,079
Full lower denture	$728	$1,068	$340	1,281
Full upper denture	$751	$1,080	$329	1,306
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,291	$1,606	$315	1,282
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$870	$1,164	$294	1,293

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 Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has 466 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 Pennsylvania

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 33 cities met that bar.

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 1,079 to 1,339 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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