Dental costs in South Carolina: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 299 located dental practices in South Carolina.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

299

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 South Carolina

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	$3,752 – $4,692	$4,212	236	$4,212 – $5,794
Full braces, teenager	$3,645 – $4,628	$4,200	237	$4,200 – $5,800
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,327 – $1,673	$1,464	276	$1,464 – $1,862
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$911 – $1,223	$1,066	295	$1,066 – $1,360
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$904 – $1,214	$1,065	292	$1,065 – $1,349
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$881 – $1,120	$998	271	$998 – $1,234
Full upper denture	$779 – $1,098	$937	296	$937 – $1,265
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,052	$923	267	$923 – $1,172
Full lower denture	$741 – $1,075	$914	291	$914 – $1,264
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$709 – $951	$830	292	$830 – $1,084
All-ceramic crown	$707 – $918	$816	292	$816 – $1,018
Root canal, molar	$696 – $895	$811	292	$811 – $990
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$687 – $881	$800	292	$800 – $942
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$644 – $875	$758	271	$758 – $973
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$656 – $830	$751	293	$751 – $905
Root canal, premolar	$542 – $714	$627	296	$627 – $792
Root canal, front tooth	$453 – $620	$541	287	$541 – $688
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$292 – $372	$330	291	$330 – $416
Hard night guard for grinding	$285 – $392	$327	265	$327 – $436
Bone graft at an implant site	$262 – $368	$294	252	$294 – $452
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$247 – $326	$285	292	$285 – $364
Surgical tooth extraction	$161 – $223	$195	288	$195 – $251
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$151 – $202	$179	288	$179 – $232
Core build-up under a crown	$143 – $198	$174	296	$174 – $222
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$132 – $174	$148	291	$148 – $193
White filling, back tooth	$101 – $135	$115	291	$115 – $151
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$91 – $133	$110	299	$110 – $152
Simple tooth extraction	$89 – $130	$110	287	$110 – $147
Silver filling, two surfaces	$96 – $122	$108	293	$108 – $138
White filling, front tooth	$93 – $122	$106	292	$106 – $134
Full-mouth X-ray series	$86 – $107	$96	282	$96 – $117
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$86 – $111	$96	293	$96 – $126
Silver filling, one surface	$78 – $101	$88	298	$88 – $114
Emergency visit for dental pain	$59 – $80	$67	284	$67 – $91
Adult teeth cleaning	$57 – $74	$66	298	$66 – $81
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$48 – $64	$57	285	$57 – $72
Child teeth cleaning	$44 – $54	$48	290	$48 – $59
Four bitewing X-rays	$39 – $50	$45	283	$45 – $53
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $40	$37	291	$37 – $45
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$31 – $40	$35	289	$35 – $43
Fluoride varnish treatment	$27 – $34	$30	266	$30 – $37

How South Carolina compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in South Carolina, 16 sit above the national median and 25 below. The widest gap downward is Bone graft at an implant site at $294 against a national $317 (7% lower); the widest upward is Gum surgery (per quadrant) at $830 against $780 (6% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in South Carolina

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 $983. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,234.

Observed negotiated prices in South Carolina. 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	$3,645	$4,628	$983	237
Full braces, adult	$3,752	$4,692	$940	236
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,327	$1,673	$346	276
Full lower denture	$741	$1,075	$334	291
Full upper denture	$779	$1,098	$319	296
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$911	$1,223	$312	295

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 South Carolina

South Carolina has 312 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 South Carolina

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 10 cities met that bar.

Charleston (41 priced)Beaufort (41 priced)Columbia (41 priced)Summerville (41 priced)Greenville (41 priced)Rock Hill (41 priced)North Charleston (41 priced)Fort Mill (41 priced)Anderson (17 priced)Indian Land (16 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

Are these the prices I would pay in South Carolina without insurance?

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 236 to 299 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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