Dental costs in South Dakota: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 39 located dental practices in South 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 South 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	$3,800 – $5,321	$4,507	30	$4,507 – $6,023
Full braces, adult	$3,652 – $4,726	$3,995	25	$3,995 – $6,023
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,422 – $1,798	$1,699	32	$1,699 – $1,966
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$1,028 – $1,272	$1,125	36	$1,125 – $1,564
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,023 – $1,272	$1,105	36	$1,105 – $1,517
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$851 – $1,103	$1,058	30	$1,058 – $1,335
Full upper denture	$948 – $1,152	$1,046	36	$1,046 – $1,438
Full lower denture	$949 – $1,195	$1,022	36	$1,022 – $1,450
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$897 – $1,042	$993	32	$993 – $1,084
All-ceramic crown	$734 – $955	$865	34	$865 – $990
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$718 – $917	$864	29	$864 – $1,112
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$787 – $987	$859	39	$859 – $1,091
Root canal, molar	$698 – $980	$843	36	$843 – $1,043
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$674 – $935	$820	34	$820 – $998
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$670 – $836	$787	35	$787 – $947
Root canal, premolar	$598 – $773	$662	36	$662 – $812
Root canal, front tooth	$509 – $663	$566	37	$566 – $676
Hard night guard for grinding	$322 – $436	$366	28	$366 – $444
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$323 – $405	$362	35	$362 – $424
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$268 – $361	$301	35	$301 – $382
Bone graft at an implant site	$242 – $403	$299	31	$299 – $442
Surgical tooth extraction	$184 – $231	$216	36	$216 – $235
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$143 – $228	$192	37	$192 – $256
Core build-up under a crown	$159 – $192	$172	35	$172 – $215
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$148 – $181	$168	36	$168 – $201
Simple tooth extraction	$113 – $136	$127	38	$127 – $146
White filling, back tooth	$114 – $140	$124	36	$124 – $157
Silver filling, two surfaces	$107 – $130	$122	37	$122 – $148
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$100 – $136	$118	39	$118 – $154
White filling, front tooth	$102 – $129	$116	36	$116 – $134
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$88 – $118	$106	36	$106 – $142
Full-mouth X-ray series	$94 – $109	$105	36	$105 – $130
Silver filling, one surface	$85 – $107	$100	37	$100 – $128
Emergency visit for dental pain	$71 – $85	$82	37	$82 – $102
Adult teeth cleaning	$64 – $77	$73	36	$73 – $78
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$57 – $75	$67	36	$67 – $80
Child teeth cleaning	$48 – $56	$55	37	$55 – $59
Four bitewing X-rays	$42 – $52	$46	36	$46 – $59
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$36 – $44	$40	35	$40 – $46
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$34 – $40	$37	35	$37 – $45
Fluoride varnish treatment	$28 – $34	$31	30	$31 – $42

How South Dakota compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in South Dakota, 38 sit above the national median and 3 below. The widest gap downward is Full braces, adult at $3,995 against a national $4,350 (8% lower); the widest upward is Emergency visit for dental pain at $82 against $69 (19% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in South 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, teenager alone, the difference between a practice at the 25th percentile and one at the 75th is $1,521. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,766.

Observed negotiated prices in South 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, teenager	$3,800	$5,321	$1,521	30
Full braces, adult	$3,652	$4,726	$1,074	25
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,422	$1,798	$376	32
Root canal, molar	$698	$980	$282	36
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$674	$935	$261	34
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$851	$1,103	$252	30

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 Dakota

South Dakota has 40 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 Dakota

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

Sioux Falls (5 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 25 to 39 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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