How much does a tooth filling cost?

The typical tooth filling cost is $118 (the median negotiated price), with the middle half of practices charging $100 to $137.

White filling, back tooth. A tooth-coloured filling on one surface of a back tooth, which carries chewing load.

Median negotiated

$118

observed midpoint

Middle half

$100 – $137

25th to 75th percentile

Practices

24,954

in the sample

Est. self-pay

$118 – $156

estimate, not observed

Tooth Filling cost nationally

Prices cluster fairly tightly, from $100 to $137 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 tooth-coloured filling on one surface of a back tooth, which carries chewing load.

What moves the price

Bonding on a back tooth is technique-sensitive and takes longer than silver.

Normally included

Decay removal, bonding and placement.

Usually billed separately

Extra surfaces, each of which moves the code and the fee.

How plans treat it

This is the classic downgrade: some plans pay only the silver-filling rate and bill you the gap.

Tooth 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.

White filling, back 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
District of Columbia	$66 – $125	$99	141	$99 – $143
North Dakota	$75 – $140	$106	30	$106 – $151
Delaware	$96 – $136	$108	50	$108 – $150
Indiana	$91 – $128	$109	447	$109 – $148
Michigan	$97 – $136	$110	617	$110 – $159
Pennsylvania	$93 – $132	$111	1,302	$111 – $148
Alabama	$100 – $129	$111	279	$111 – $147
Missouri	$97 – $131	$112	489	$112 – $154
Maryland	$97 – $133	$113	552	$113 – $156
Iowa	$99 – $130	$113	188	$113 – $139
Arkansas	$100 – $122	$114	197	$114 – $133
New Mexico	$98 – $133	$114	155	$114 – $148
Nebraska	$93 – $134	$114	176	$114 – $158
Virginia	$97 – $134	$114	708	$114 – $156
Louisiana	$95 – $134	$114	311	$114 – $156
Colorado	$97 – $134	$115	568	$115 – $151
South Carolina	$101 – $135	$115	291	$115 – $151
Vermont	$98 – $132	$115	18	$115 – $147
Illinois	$97 – $140	$116	963	$116 – $160
Ohio	$97 – $131	$116	862	$116 – $157
Wisconsin	$103 – $138	$116	342	$116 – $162
New York	$100 – $133	$116	1,685	$116 – $149
Tennessee	$97 – $130	$116	527	$116 – $146
New Jersey	$96 – $137	$117	971	$117 – $153
Idaho	$97 – $130	$117	138	$117 – $148
Texas	$104 – $134	$118	2,155	$118 – $155
Utah	$101 – $133	$118	298	$118 – $156
Kansas	$99 – $132	$118	247	$118 – $149
Oregon	$105 – $138	$118	264	$118 – $154
Massachusetts	$102 – $135	$119	773	$119 – $150
Kentucky	$99 – $131	$119	397	$119 – $159
Hawaii	$100 – $133	$119	55	$119 – $157
Mississippi	$102 – $138	$119	190	$119 – $157
Oklahoma	$107 – $138	$120	288	$120 – $158
Nevada	$102 – $136	$120	292	$120 – $156
Florida	$95 – $138	$121	1,661	$121 – $150
West Virginia	$106 – $132	$121	157	$121 – $142
Georgia	$100 – $140	$122	656	$122 – $156
Arizona	$104 – $138	$123	590	$123 – $155
South Dakota	$114 – $140	$124	36	$124 – $157
Rhode Island	$113 – $137	$124	53	$124 – $150
California	$109 – $142	$126	2,608	$126 – $160
Connecticut	$105 – $147	$126	340	$126 – $165
North Carolina	$105 – $144	$128	690	$128 – $162
Minnesota	$109 – $152	$128	297	$128 – $166
Washington	$108 – $145	$130	598	$130 – $158
Puerto Rico	$123 – $142	$130	30	$130 – $156
Wyoming	$107 – $140	$134	27	$134 – $146
Montana	$106 – $156	$134	59	$134 – $166
Maine	$121 – $160	$134	54	$134 – $161
New Hampshire	$108 – $152	$138	63	$138 – $166
Alaska	$109 – $167	$142	38	$142 – $178

Related treatments

Silver filling, one surface Silver filling, two surfaces White filling, front 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?

Will my plan downgrade this to the silver rate, and if so what is my share?

Is this the price I will pay without insurance?

No. The $100 to $137 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?

Extra surfaces, each of which moves the code and the fee.

How do dental plans usually treat this?

This is the classic downgrade: some plans pay only the silver-filling rate and bill you the gap.

How many practices is this based on?

This national figure comes from 24,954 separate dental practices. Each practice contributes one observation, which is the median of every rate it holds for this treatment.