Dental costs in Washington: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 656 located dental practices in Washington.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

656

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 Washington

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	$4,078 – $5,202	$4,853	459	$4,853 – $5,539
Full braces, teenager	$4,061 – $4,973	$4,627	449	$4,627 – $5,310
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,391 – $1,700	$1,524	612	$1,524 – $1,920
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$1,019 – $1,301	$1,151	627	$1,151 – $1,426
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,013 – $1,294	$1,134	614	$1,134 – $1,421
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$948 – $1,183	$1,094	570	$1,094 – $1,251
Full upper denture	$936 – $1,213	$1,070	622	$1,070 – $1,333
Full lower denture	$924 – $1,207	$1,040	621	$1,040 – $1,313
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$889 – $1,152	$1,037	599	$1,037 – $1,230
All-ceramic crown	$794 – $966	$880	601	$880 – $1,027
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$756 – $902	$837	626	$837 – $976
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$708 – $977	$806	632	$806 – $1,093
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$704 – $855	$798	627	$798 – $910
Root canal, molar	$716 – $900	$792	617	$792 – $1,015
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$620 – $888	$768	604	$768 – $1,002
Root canal, premolar	$573 – $736	$642	606	$642 – $807
Root canal, front tooth	$500 – $625	$547	596	$547 – $701
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$306 – $392	$350	611	$350 – $435
Hard night guard for grinding	$319 – $396	$349	565	$349 – $425
Bone graft at an implant site	$268 – $429	$319	595	$319 – $469
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$267 – $335	$302	605	$302 – $368
Surgical tooth extraction	$171 – $231	$203	626	$203 – $254
Core build-up under a crown	$155 – $212	$188	624	$188 – $226
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$152 – $206	$178	633	$178 – $224
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$142 – $187	$168	607	$168 – $205
White filling, back tooth	$108 – $145	$130	598	$130 – $158
Silver filling, two surfaces	$100 – $142	$125	612	$125 – $156
White filling, front tooth	$97 – $131	$118	621	$118 – $142
Simple tooth extraction	$95 – $132	$115	628	$115 – $151
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$89 – $132	$112	656	$112 – $153
Silver filling, one surface	$80 – $113	$100	586	$100 – $126
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$82 – $119	$100	617	$100 – $134
Full-mouth X-ray series	$86 – $108	$98	597	$98 – $119
Emergency visit for dental pain	$61 – $94	$80	599	$80 – $109
Adult teeth cleaning	$62 – $82	$72	600	$72 – $90
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$50 – $67	$58	619	$58 – $73
Child teeth cleaning	$45 – $56	$52	611	$52 – $60
Four bitewing X-rays	$41 – $51	$47	621	$47 – $54
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$32 – $43	$38	591	$38 – $46
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$33 – $42	$37	616	$37 – $45
Fluoride varnish treatment	$25 – $37	$31	590	$31 – $40

How Washington compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Washington, 40 sit above the national median and 1 below. The widest gap downward is Comprehensive exam (new patient) at $58 against a national $58 (0% lower); the widest upward is Emergency visit for dental pain at $80 against $69 (16% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Washington

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 $1,124. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,191.

Observed negotiated prices in Washington. 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	$4,078	$5,202	$1,124	459
Full braces, teenager	$4,061	$4,973	$912	449
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,391	$1,700	$309	612
Full lower denture	$924	$1,207	$283	621
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$1,019	$1,301	$282	627
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$1,013	$1,294	$281	614

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 Washington

Washington has 453 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 Washington

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 23 cities met that bar.

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 449 to 656 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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