Dental costs in Wisconsin: how much a dentist costs

Observed negotiated prices across 41 treatments from 357 located dental practices in Wisconsin.

Treatments priced

at or above threshold

Cities published

in this state

Largest sample

357

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 Wisconsin

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	$4,058 – $5,033	$4,478	286	$4,478 – $5,402
Full braces, teenager	$3,730 – $4,800	$4,320	279	$4,320 – $5,161
Implant post placed in the jaw	$1,434 – $1,750	$1,564	346	$1,564 – $1,870
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$949 – $1,294	$1,117	335	$1,117 – $1,462
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$943 – $1,282	$1,093	350	$1,093 – $1,480
Ceramic crown attached to an implant	$963 – $1,174	$1,030	317	$1,030 – $1,355
Full upper denture	$884 – $1,202	$992	336	$992 – $1,340
Full lower denture	$793 – $1,175	$974	342	$974 – $1,288
Ceramic crown on an implant abutment	$819 – $1,118	$965	319	$965 – $1,242
All-ceramic crown	$768 – $936	$867	339	$867 – $1,031
Root canal, molar	$749 – $953	$844	343	$844 – $1,040
Gum surgery (per quadrant)	$728 – $960	$796	351	$796 – $1,098
Porcelain-and-metal crown	$703 – $888	$789	331	$789 – $988
Bridge, porcelain-and-metal span unit	$695 – $835	$765	350	$765 – $892
Porcelain veneer (per tooth)	$644 – $906	$747	323	$747 – $1,000
Root canal, premolar	$586 – $760	$685	340	$685 – $792
Root canal, front tooth	$500 – $667	$590	337	$590 – $689
Fully-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$303 – $396	$339	352	$339 – $437
Hard night guard for grinding	$294 – $380	$338	317	$338 – $417
Partly-impacted wisdom tooth removal	$255 – $330	$298	353	$298 – $371
Bone graft at an implant site	$241 – $398	$267	303	$267 – $440
Surgical tooth extraction	$168 – $224	$194	341	$194 – $258
Core build-up under a crown	$141 – $208	$180	349	$180 – $226
Deep cleaning, four or more teeth per quadrant	$155 – $208	$177	351	$177 – $236
White filling, back tooth, two surfaces	$134 – $181	$154	335	$154 – $209
White filling, back tooth	$103 – $138	$116	342	$116 – $162
Deep cleaning, one to three teeth per quadrant	$101 – $134	$114	357	$114 – $168
Silver filling, two surfaces	$101 – $131	$112	335	$112 – $144
Simple tooth extraction	$94 – $130	$112	327	$112 – $152
White filling, front tooth	$92 – $123	$105	344	$105 – $142
Ongoing gum maintenance cleaning	$91 – $113	$101	342	$101 – $135
Full-mouth X-ray series	$87 – $106	$100	342	$100 – $124
Silver filling, one surface	$81 – $107	$91	344	$91 – $119
Emergency visit for dental pain	$58 – $97	$78	346	$78 – $114
Adult teeth cleaning	$63 – $76	$71	341	$71 – $84
Comprehensive exam (new patient)	$54 – $66	$60	326	$60 – $72
Child teeth cleaning	$46 – $58	$53	338	$53 – $62
Four bitewing X-rays	$42 – $52	$46	342	$46 – $56
Routine check-up (returning patient)	$32 – $43	$40	339	$40 – $47
Dental sealant (per tooth)	$34 – $42	$38	332	$38 – $44
Fluoride varnish treatment	$28 – $36	$33	319	$33 – $38

How Wisconsin compares nationally

Of the 41 treatments we can price in Wisconsin, 37 sit above the national median and 4 below. The widest gap downward is Bone graft at an implant site at $267 against a national $317 (16% lower); the widest upward is Fluoride varnish treatment at $33 against $29 (14% higher).

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

What shopping around is worth in Wisconsin

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 $1,070. Across the 6 treatments below it comes to $3,429.

Observed negotiated prices in Wisconsin. 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	$3,730	$4,800	$1,070	279
Full braces, adult	$4,058	$5,033	$975	286
Full lower denture	$793	$1,175	$382	342
Partial upper denture with metal frame	$949	$1,294	$345	335
Partial lower denture with metal frame	$943	$1,282	$339	350
Full upper denture	$884	$1,202	$318	336

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 Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 313 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 Wisconsin

City pages are published only where at least 8 practices in that city carried a rate. 9 cities met that bar.

Milwaukee (41 priced)Madison (41 priced)Green Bay (41 priced)Kenosha (41 priced)Mount Pleasant (41 priced)Eau Claire (41 priced)Plover (33 priced)Cashton (25 priced)Waukesha (6 priced)

Other states

All states · All treatments · Methodology

Common questions

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

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

Sample sizes are shown per treatment in the table above and range from 279 to 357 practices. We publish nothing below 15.

Why is a treatment missing from this page?

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