How much does a new patient dental exam cost?

The typical new patient dental exam cost is $58 (the median negotiated price), with the middle half of practices charging $48 to $66.

Comprehensive exam (new patient). A full first-visit examination: complete charting of every tooth, a gum assessment and a review of your dental and medical history.

Median negotiated

$58

observed midpoint

Middle half

$48 – $66

25th to 75th percentile

Practices

24,548

in the sample

Est. self-pay

$58 – $75

estimate, not observed

New patient dental exam cost nationally

Prices cluster fairly tightly, from $48 to $66 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 full first-visit examination: complete charting of every tooth, a gum assessment and a review of your dental and medical history.

What moves the price

Little variation. It takes longer than a routine check-up, which is why it costs more.

Normally included

Comprehensive charting and the treatment-plan discussion.

Usually billed separately

X-rays, cleaning and any photographs or scans.

How plans treat it

Usually covered, but often limited to once per practice or once every few years.

New patient dental exam 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.

Comprehensive exam (new patient): 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	$44 – $69	$50	279	$50 – $75
Louisiana	$44 – $64	$50	325	$50 – $75
Indiana	$47 – $62	$53	422	$53 – $71
Mississippi	$46 – $65	$53	213	$53 – $71
District of Columbia	$44 – $64	$53	119	$53 – $71
Utah	$47 – $65	$54	306	$54 – $74
Arkansas	$48 – $59	$54	203	$54 – $67
Idaho	$50 – $64	$54	148	$54 – $72
Tennessee	$45 – $61	$54	547	$54 – $70
Iowa	$45 – $61	$54	195	$54 – $65
Pennsylvania	$46 – $65	$55	1,239	$55 – $74
New Jersey	$46 – $65	$55	903	$55 – $74
Massachusetts	$47 – $65	$55	767	$55 – $74
New York	$47 – $64	$55	1,596	$55 – $72
Illinois	$48 – $64	$56	970	$56 – $72
Missouri	$48 – $66	$56	464	$56 – $75
Nevada	$47 – $66	$56	271	$56 – $77
New Mexico	$47 – $65	$56	144	$56 – $73
Nebraska	$44 – $64	$56	173	$56 – $71
Rhode Island	$52 – $68	$56	54	$56 – $73
West Virginia	$48 – $64	$56	157	$56 – $69
Ohio	$48 – $66	$57	841	$57 – $76
Kentucky	$47 – $66	$57	430	$57 – $75
Hawaii	$50 – $69	$57	57	$57 – $74
Oregon	$49 – $65	$57	253	$57 – $70
Colorado	$46 – $66	$57	576	$57 – $74
South Carolina	$48 – $64	$57	285	$57 – $72
Texas	$49 – $69	$58	2,116	$58 – $76
Oklahoma	$48 – $66	$58	309	$58 – $72
Washington	$50 – $67	$58	619	$58 – $73
Arizona	$50 – $68	$58	604	$58 – $77
Kansas	$52 – $69	$58	232	$58 – $81
Vermont	$46 – $66	$58	17	$58 – $71
Maryland	$48 – $69	$59	516	$59 – $78
Georgia	$50 – $67	$59	644	$59 – $73
Michigan	$48 – $68	$59	586	$59 – $73
Virginia	$48 – $69	$59	660	$59 – $77
Delaware	$49 – $73	$59	49	$59 – $77
California	$50 – $68	$60	2,629	$60 – $75
Wisconsin	$54 – $66	$60	326	$60 – $72
Wyoming	$56 – $64	$60	27	$60 – $67
North Dakota	$48 – $70	$60	27	$60 – $70
Florida	$51 – $68	$61	1,568	$61 – $80
Minnesota	$53 – $72	$61	299	$61 – $75
Connecticut	$51 – $70	$61	368	$61 – $78
Montana	$52 – $68	$61	61	$61 – $71
North Carolina	$54 – $69	$62	700	$62 – $76
New Hampshire	$51 – $74	$64	65	$64 – $83
South Dakota	$57 – $75	$67	36	$67 – $80
Puerto Rico	$57 – $70	$68	27	$68 – $76
Maine	$61 – $74	$70	57	$70 – $78
Alaska	$58 – $78	$72	41	$72 – $83

Related treatments

Routine check-up (returning patient)Full-mouth X-ray series Four bitewing X-rays Adult teeth cleaning Child teeth cleaning Fluoride varnish treatment Dental sealant (per tooth)

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

Common questions

What should I ask the practice before agreeing?

Will I be charged this again if I return after a gap, or does a routine check-up apply?

Is this the price I will pay without insurance?

No. The $48 to $66 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?

X-rays, cleaning and any photographs or scans.

How do dental plans usually treat this?

Usually covered, but often limited to once per practice or once every few years.

How many practices is this based on?

This national figure comes from 24,548 separate dental practices. Each practice contributes one observation, which is the median of every rate it holds for this treatment.