How much does a dental sealant cost?

The typical dental sealant cost is $36 (the median negotiated price), with the middle half of practices charging $33 to $42.

Dental sealant (per tooth). A thin protective coating bonded into the grooves of a back tooth to keep decay out, priced per tooth.

Median negotiated

$36

observed midpoint

Middle half

$33 – $42

25th to 75th percentile

Practices

25,244

in the sample

Est. self-pay

$36 – $46

estimate, not observed

Dental sealant cost nationally

Prices cluster fairly tightly, from $33 to $42 across the middle half of the market, so shopping around saves less here than on larger treatments.

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.

What it covers

A thin protective coating bonded into the grooves of a back tooth to keep decay out, priced per tooth.

What moves the price

The per-tooth fee is small, so the total depends almost entirely on how many teeth are treated.

Normally included

Preparation and placement on one tooth.

Usually billed separately

Other teeth. Four sealants cost four times the quoted figure.

How plans treat it

Commonly covered for children on back teeth, often with an age limit.

Dental sealant cost by state

Each bar is one state's observed distribution: the block is the middle half of the market, the vertical rule is the median, and the line reaching right runs out to the 90th percentile. The dashed line is the national median, so you can see at a glance which states sit above or below it.

Dental sealant (per tooth): observed negotiated price by state

Middle half (25th–75th)MedianNational median

The same figures as a table, lowest median first. Only states with at least 15 practices are listed.

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.
State	Negotiated range Observed	Median	Practices (n)	Est. self-pay Estimated
Alabama	$30 – $38	$33	300	$33 – $43
Iowa	$30 – $38	$33	218	$33 – $41
Arkansas	$32 – $36	$34	194	$34 – $39
Indiana	$32 – $39	$34	448	$34 – $43
Louisiana	$32 – $39	$34	319	$34 – $44
District of Columbia	$29 – $40	$34	124	$34 – $44
Pennsylvania	$30 – $40	$35	1,301	$35 – $46
Utah	$32 – $42	$35	313	$35 – $46
Michigan	$32 – $42	$35	665	$35 – $44
New Mexico	$31 – $38	$35	158	$35 – $44
Nebraska	$32 – $39	$35	180	$35 – $45
Delaware	$31 – $42	$35	43	$35 – $45
Maryland	$33 – $42	$36	521	$36 – $46
Texas	$33 – $41	$36	2,211	$36 – $45
Illinois	$33 – $41	$36	981	$36 – $45
Florida	$30 – $40	$36	1,633	$36 – $45
Ohio	$32 – $40	$36	880	$36 – $48
Massachusetts	$33 – $41	$36	750	$36 – $46
Missouri	$33 – $40	$36	480	$36 – $46
Idaho	$33 – $42	$36	143	$36 – $45
Nevada	$32 – $41	$36	294	$36 – $45
Kansas	$33 – $40	$36	249	$36 – $44
Kentucky	$30 – $41	$36	453	$36 – $49
Oregon	$33 – $41	$36	259	$36 – $44
Mississippi	$33 – $44	$36	193	$36 – $48
Colorado	$33 – $41	$36	583	$36 – $45
Wyoming	$35 – $39	$36	27	$36 – $43
West Virginia	$31 – $38	$36	159	$36 – $43
North Dakota	$33 – $42	$36	30	$36 – $46
Oklahoma	$32 – $41	$37	326	$37 – $46
New Jersey	$32 – $42	$37	930	$37 – $48
Georgia	$33 – $42	$37	661	$37 – $46
Washington	$33 – $42	$37	616	$37 – $45
New York	$32 – $42	$37	1,627	$37 – $46
Tennessee	$33 – $40	$37	552	$37 – $46
Arizona	$33 – $40	$37	595	$37 – $45
Minnesota	$32 – $44	$37	318	$37 – $49
Virginia	$33 – $42	$37	684	$37 – $46
South Carolina	$33 – $40	$37	291	$37 – $45
Wisconsin	$34 – $42	$38	332	$38 – $44
North Carolina	$34 – $43	$38	706	$38 – $46
Connecticut	$33 – $44	$38	351	$38 – $48
Vermont	$35 – $43	$38	18	$38 – $44
California	$35 – $44	$39	2,708	$39 – $48
Hawaii	$33 – $42	$39	55	$39 – $46
Rhode Island	$34 – $43	$39	54	$39 – $45
South Dakota	$36 – $44	$40	35	$40 – $46
New Hampshire	$34 – $46	$40	64	$40 – $50
Montana	$36 – $44	$40	60	$40 – $47
Alaska	$35 – $48	$42	44	$42 – $51
Maine	$37 – $46	$42	50	$42 – $54
Puerto Rico	$36 – $45	$44	31	$44 – $46

Related treatments

Routine check-up (returning patient)Comprehensive exam (new patient)Full-mouth X-ray series Four bitewing X-rays Adult teeth cleaning Child teeth cleaning Fluoride varnish treatment

Check-ups, cleanings & X-rays guide · All treatments · How this was measured

Common questions

What should I ask the practice before agreeing?

How many teeth are you sealing, and what is the total rather than the per-tooth price?

Is this the price I will pay without insurance?

No. The $33 to $42 range above is what dental plans have negotiated with contracted practices. If you are uninsured you will generally be quoted at or above the top of that range. We show an estimated self-pay range, clearly marked as an estimate, because we do not observe cash prices — see the methodology.

What is not included in this price?

Other teeth. Four sealants cost four times the quoted figure.

How do dental plans usually treat this?

Commonly covered for children on back teeth, often with an age limit.

How many practices is this based on?

This national figure comes from 25,244 separate dental practices. Each practice contributes one observation, which is the median of every rate it holds for this treatment.