Dental costs in Virginia: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 733 located dental practices in Virginia.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

733

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 Virginia

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	$4,008 – $5,306	$4,476	526	$4,476 – $6,015
Full braces, teenager	$3,819 – $5,062	$4,298	514	$4,298 – $5,974
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,342 – $1,794	$1,538	687	$1,538 – $2,073
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$870 – $1,234	$1,060	707	$1,060 – $1,393
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$875 – $1,229	$1,060	709	$1,060 – $1,365
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$845 – $1,179	$982	645	$982 – $1,489
Full upper denture	$750 – $1,120	$965	698	$965 – $1,323
Full lower denture	$728 – $1,125	$962	708	$962 – $1,295
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$829 – $1,112	$950	663	$950 – $1,332
All-ceramic crown	$677 – $948	$842	701	$842 – $1,046
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$641 – $900	$803	724	$803 – $979
Root canal, molar	$673 – $922	$794	733	$794 – $993
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$683 – $876	$778	709	$778 – $997
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$636 – $893	$761	653	$761 – $1,027
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$623 – $847	$726	719	$726 – $919
Root canal, premolar	$515 – $733	$634	707	$634 – $801
Root canal, front tooth	$444 – $644	$544	719	$544 – $713
Hard night guard for grinding	$285 – $381	$338	620	$338 – $413
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$282 – $369	$330	695	$330 – $418
Bone graft at an implant site	$255 – $385	$289	589	$289 – $472
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$239 – $332	$287	713	$287 – $374
Surgical tooth extraction	$156 – $227	$192	705	$192 – $252
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$137 – $202	$171	707	$171 – $233
Core build-up under a crown	$139 – $198	$165	706	$165 – $228
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$125 – $174	$150	705	$150 – $199
White filling, back tooth	$97 – $134	$114	708	$114 – $156
Simple tooth extraction	$89 – $133	$114	732	$114 – $147
Silver filling, two surfaces	$94 – $128	$110	713	$110 – $154
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$88 – $128	$107	683	$107 – $153
White filling, front tooth	$90 – $121	$105	731	$105 – $141
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $116	$99	683	$99 – $137
Full-mouth X-ray series	$86 – $107	$94	632	$94 – $115
Silver filling, one surface	$75 – $101	$88	712	$88 – $118
Emergency visit for dental pain	$59 – $82	$68	691	$68 – $95
Adult teeth cleaning	$57 – $74	$66	693	$66 – $80
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$48 – $69	$59	660	$59 – $77
Child teeth cleaning	$43 – $55	$49	712	$49 – $59
Four bitewing X-rays	$39 – $50	$44	654	$44 – $55
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $42	$37	684	$37 – $46
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$31 – $40	$35	660	$35 – $45
Fluoride varnish treatment	$26 – $34	$29	626	$29 – $38

How Virginia compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Virginia, 17 sit above the national median and 24 below. The widest gap downward is Bone graft at an implant site at $289 against a national $317 (9% lower); the widest upward is Simple tooth extraction at $114 against $110 (4% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Virginia

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 $1,298. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $4,124.

Observed negotiated prices in Virginia. 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	$4,008	$5,306	$1,298	526
Full braces, teenager	$3,819	$5,062	$1,243	514
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,342	$1,794	$452	687
Full lower denture	$728	$1,125	$397	708
Full upper denture	$750	$1,120	$370	698
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$870	$1,234	$364	707

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 Virginia

Virginia has 223 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 Virginia

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 29 cities met that bar.

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 514 to 733 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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