Dental costs in Tennessee: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 561 located dental practices in Tennessee.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

561

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 Tennessee

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	$3,823 – $5,401	$4,270	384	$4,270 – $5,800
Full braces, teenager	$3,598 – $4,693	$4,000	379	$4,000 – $5,800
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,324 – $1,779	$1,494	485	$1,494 – $2,000
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$837 – $1,140	$1,035	558	$1,035 – $1,303
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$840 – $1,148	$1,022	547	$1,022 – $1,304
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$848 – $1,159	$966	469	$966 – $1,502
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$844 – $1,093	$936	479	$936 – $1,384
Full upper denture	$750 – $1,034	$900	547	$900 – $1,200
Full lower denture	$716 – $1,032	$892	537	$892 – $1,194
All-ceramic crown	$674 – $900	$806	539	$806 – $985
Root canal, molar	$671 – $864	$758	560	$758 – $955
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$644 – $834	$754	551	$754 – $938
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$625 – $858	$750	558	$750 – $944
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$624 – $828	$741	522	$741 – $902
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$624 – $788	$718	533	$718 – $913
Root canal, premolar	$548 – $690	$623	553	$623 – $748
Root canal, front tooth	$458 – $588	$540	554	$540 – $647
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$277 – $350	$316	551	$316 – $400
Hard night guard for grinding	$256 – $378	$312	478	$312 – $394
Bone graft at an implant site	$225 – $403	$293	450	$293 – $451
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$235 – $303	$270	550	$270 – $348
Surgical tooth extraction	$148 – $207	$178	556	$178 – $230
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$132 – $191	$170	545	$170 – $217
Core build-up under a crown	$142 – $197	$166	561	$166 – $225
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$125 – $166	$150	519	$150 – $197
White filling, back tooth	$97 – $130	$116	527	$116 – $146
Silver filling, two surfaces	$94 – $121	$106	553	$106 – $138
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$82 – $126	$106	561	$106 – $144
White filling, front tooth	$88 – $116	$104	543	$104 – $129
Simple tooth extraction	$87 – $125	$103	552	$103 – $145
Full-mouth X-ray series	$86 – $104	$96	504	$96 – $113
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $105	$96	558	$96 – $124
Silver filling, one surface	$74 – $98	$87	540	$87 – $109
Emergency visit for dental pain	$56 – $83	$68	541	$68 – $95
Adult teeth cleaning	$56 – $75	$66	512	$66 – $80
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$45 – $61	$54	547	$54 – $70
Child teeth cleaning	$43 – $54	$49	516	$49 – $58
Four bitewing X-rays	$39 – $48	$44	522	$44 – $52
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $40	$37	552	$37 – $46
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$30 – $40	$35	515	$35 – $43
Fluoride varnish treatment	$26 – $32	$29	486	$29 – $38

How Tennessee compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Tennessee, 3 sit above the national median and 38 below. The widest gap downward is Full lower denture at $892 against a national $972 (8% lower); the widest upward is Dental sealant (per tooth) at $37 against $36 (3% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Tennessee

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 $1,578. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $4,063.

Observed negotiated prices in Tennessee. 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	$3,823	$5,401	$1,578	384
Full braces, teenager	$3,598	$4,693	$1,095	379
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,324	$1,779	$455	485
Full lower denture	$716	$1,032	$316	537
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$848	$1,159	$311	469
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$840	$1,148	$308	547

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 Tennessee

Tennessee has 236 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 Tennessee

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 17 cities met that bar.

Knoxville (41 priced)Nashville (41 priced)Memphis (41 priced)Chattanooga (41 priced)Hermitage (41 priced)Maryville (41 priced)Goodlettsville (41 priced)Franklin (41 priced)Murfreesboro (41 priced)Smyrna (41 priced)Hendersonville (39 priced)Johnson City (39 priced)Clarksville (35 priced)Cordova (28 priced)Bartlett (24 priced)Arlington (11 priced)Dickson (6 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 379 to 561 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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