How much does a silver filling cost?

The typical silver filling cost is $89 (the median negotiated price), with the middle half of practices charging $77 to $104.

Silver filling, one surface. A silver-coloured filling repairing one surface of a tooth.

Median negotiated

$89

observed midpoint

Middle half

$77 – $104

25th to 75th percentile

Practices

24,980

in the sample

Est. self-pay

$89 – $118

estimate, not observed

Silver filling cost nationally

Prices cluster fairly tightly, from $77 to $104 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 silver-coloured filling repairing one surface of a tooth.

What moves the price

Material cost is low and the appointment is short, so fees are tight. Fewer practices offer this now.

Normally included

Removing the decay and placing the filling.

Usually billed separately

Additional surfaces on the same tooth, which move it to a different code.

How plans treat it

Usually the benchmark that plans reimburse fillings against.

Silver filling 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.

Silver filling, one surface: 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	$70 – $98	$79	290	$79 – $120
District of Columbia	$48 – $101	$79	129	$79 – $115
Delaware	$71 – $102	$80	51	$80 – $112
Arkansas	$74 – $92	$82	190	$82 – $104
Iowa	$72 – $92	$82	205	$82 – $103
North Dakota	$71 – $111	$83	32	$83 – $122
Pennsylvania	$71 – $99	$84	1,298	$84 – $114
Missouri	$71 – $100	$84	455	$84 – $113
Indiana	$73 – $97	$84	440	$84 – $111
Maryland	$78 – $100	$86	526	$86 – $114
Illinois	$76 – $102	$86	988	$86 – $114
Michigan	$72 – $101	$86	654	$86 – $115
Kentucky	$72 – $109	$86	435	$86 – $129
Colorado	$79 – $102	$86	570	$86 – $115
Utah	$72 – $98	$87	286	$87 – $120
Tennessee	$74 – $98	$87	540	$87 – $109
Nebraska	$70 – $99	$87	172	$87 – $124
Louisiana	$70 – $104	$87	335	$87 – $115
New Jersey	$72 – $104	$88	969	$88 – $119
Kansas	$78 – $102	$88	234	$88 – $114
New Mexico	$70 – $98	$88	146	$88 – $110
Virginia	$75 – $101	$88	712	$88 – $118
South Carolina	$78 – $101	$88	298	$88 – $114
West Virginia	$74 – $102	$88	171	$88 – $127
Texas	$79 – $100	$89	2,185	$89 – $116
Ohio	$74 – $102	$89	856	$89 – $119
New York	$78 – $102	$89	1,576	$89 – $115
Hawaii	$78 – $102	$89	55	$89 – $110
Oklahoma	$78 – $104	$90	313	$90 – $123
Massachusetts	$78 – $102	$90	741	$90 – $113
Georgia	$79 – $106	$90	665	$90 – $117
Nevada	$76 – $104	$90	297	$90 – $116
Mississippi	$79 – $105	$90	192	$90 – $126
Florida	$72 – $106	$91	1,645	$91 – $119
Wisconsin	$81 – $107	$91	344	$91 – $119
North Carolina	$79 – $110	$92	696	$92 – $125
Idaho	$76 – $102	$92	145	$92 – $117
New Hampshire	$78 – $117	$92	58	$92 – $127
Arizona	$79 – $104	$93	586	$93 – $121
Minnesota	$80 – $108	$93	301	$93 – $129
Vermont	$76 – $102	$94	18	$94 – $108
California	$84 – $106	$95	2,673	$95 – $119
Connecticut	$82 – $112	$95	349	$95 – $124
Oregon	$80 – $106	$95	258	$95 – $116
Rhode Island	$82 – $108	$95	51	$95 – $118
Washington	$80 – $113	$100	586	$100 – $126
South Dakota	$85 – $107	$100	37	$100 – $128
Puerto Rico	$85 – $111	$100	30	$100 – $112
Wyoming	$88 – $107	$101	28	$101 – $110
Montana	$88 – $116	$102	59	$102 – $125
Alaska	$88 – $131	$110	35	$110 – $136
Maine	$90 – $129	$115	47	$115 – $137

Related treatments

Silver filling, two surfaces White filling, front tooth White filling, back tooth White filling, back tooth, two surfaces

Fillings guide · All treatments · How this was measured

Common questions

What should I ask the practice before agreeing?

How many surfaces are involved, and which code will you be billing?

Is this the price I will pay without insurance?

No. The $77 to $104 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?

Additional surfaces on the same tooth, which move it to a different code.

How do dental plans usually treat this?

Usually the benchmark that plans reimburse fillings against.

How many practices is this based on?

This national figure comes from 24,980 separate dental practices. Each practice contributes one observation, which is the median of every rate it holds for this treatment.