Dental costs in Rhode Island: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 56 located dental practices in Rhode Island.

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 Rhode Island

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 – $5,379	$4,740	48	$4,740 – $5,752
Full braces, teenager	$4,195 – $5,130	$4,591	48	$4,591 – $5,485
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,382 – $1,774	$1,569	55	$1,569 – $1,952
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,005 – $1,296	$1,137	54	$1,137 – $1,396
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$1,014 – $1,307	$1,130	54	$1,130 – $1,402
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$882 – $1,296	$1,104	53	$1,104 – $1,433
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$881 – $1,215	$1,054	53	$1,054 – $1,350
Full upper denture	$912 – $1,220	$1,035	53	$1,035 – $1,378
Full lower denture	$886 – $1,197	$1,018	53	$1,018 – $1,330
All-ceramic crown	$775 – $942	$860	50	$860 – $1,052
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$712 – $988	$858	53	$858 – $1,148
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$764 – $940	$844	51	$844 – $1,045
Root canal, molar	$738 – $945	$832	50	$832 – $1,072
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$714 – $945	$811	53	$811 – $1,028
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$664 – $913	$774	53	$774 – $1,017
Root canal, premolar	$594 – $746	$670	51	$670 – $852
Root canal, front tooth	$512 – $654	$552	55	$552 – $738
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$296 – $417	$362	51	$362 – $463
Hard night guard for grinding	$305 – $392	$342	52	$342 – $419
Bone graft at an implant site	$272 – $367	$310	49	$310 – $431
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$256 – $352	$302	55	$302 – $385
Surgical tooth extraction	$175 – $239	$202	53	$202 – $260
Core build-up under a crown	$152 – $213	$188	51	$188 – $239
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$156 – $207	$177	56	$177 – $234
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$144 – $178	$162	53	$162 – $198
White filling, back tooth	$113 – $137	$124	53	$124 – $150
Simple tooth extraction	$101 – $140	$121	53	$121 – $152
Silver filling, two surfaces	$101 – $137	$117	53	$117 – $155
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$98 – $142	$111	53	$111 – $163
White filling, front tooth	$97 – $124	$110	53	$110 – $135
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$90 – $118	$102	53	$102 – $130
Full-mouth X-ray series	$90 – $109	$97	51	$97 – $120
Silver filling, one surface	$82 – $108	$95	51	$95 – $118
Emergency visit for dental pain	$61 – $95	$75	53	$75 – $108
Adult teeth cleaning	$66 – $80	$70	52	$70 – $88
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$52 – $68	$56	54	$56 – $73
Child teeth cleaning	$45 – $58	$53	56	$53 – $64
Four bitewing X-rays	$43 – $52	$46	51	$46 – $58
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$34 – $43	$39	54	$39 – $45
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$33 – $43	$38	52	$38 – $47
Fluoride varnish treatment	$28 – $38	$34	54	$34 – $41

How Rhode Island compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Rhode Island, 39 sit above the national median and 2 below. The widest gap downward is Comprehensive exam (new patient) at $56 against a national $58 (3% lower); the widest upward is Fluoride varnish treatment at $34 against $29 (17% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Rhode Island

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 $1,179. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,565.

Observed negotiated prices in Rhode Island. 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	$5,379	$1,179	48
Full braces, teenager	$4,195	$5,130	$935	48
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$882	$1,296	$414	53
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,382	$1,774	$392	55
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$881	$1,215	$334	53
Full lower denture	$886	$1,197	$311	53

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 Rhode Island

Rhode Island has 63 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 Rhode Island

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 2 cities met that bar.

Providence (41 priced)Cranston (39 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

Are these the prices I would pay in Rhode Island without insurance?

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 48 to 56 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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