2024 public dataset

Dental costs across 51 states

62 CDT procedures with modeled Medicaid and private-market estimates, sourced from the ADA Health Policy Institute and BEA Regional Price Parities.

Browse procedures Methodology

The national picture

According to this archive's join of MACPAC adult-dental tiers and ADA Health Policy Institute private estimates, 19 extensive programs sharing 58 covered codes are coverage-breadth #1 of 51, while Hawaii's limited program at $54,042 is uncovered-basket #1 (39 of 62 codes without a Medicaid fee), above Delaware none-tier at $51,300. Iowa extensive is the basket floor at $12,065. Private-market averages still run from $712 in Mississippi to $968 in New York (1.4×).

58
Covered codes at breadth #1 (19 tied)
$54,042
Hawaii uncovered basket
$51,300
Delaware none-tier
$12,065
Iowa basket floor

Uncovered-basket dollars are modeled (uncovered CDT codes × that state's private estimates), not billed fees. Coverage is MACPAC program-tier. See /methodology/#uncovered-exposure. 2024 ADA HPI baselines.

Return path

Procedure watchlist

Cost figures use the 2024 ADA Health Policy Institute snapshot in this archive. There is no email alert; the next refresh is when a newer HPI or MACPAC vintage is loaded. Save a CDT from the table below or any procedure page. The list stays in this browser.

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About This Data

According to the ADA Health Policy Institute Survey of Dental Fees and Medicaid Reimbursement Compendium, plus BEA Regional Price Parities, PlainDentalCost rebuilds 62 commonly-searched dental procedures across 51 US jurisdictions into comparable dollar estimates. State Medicaid dollar figures are modeled estimates (national ADA HPI Medicaid average × state multiplier), not a live pull of every state fee schedule. Private-market estimates start from the ADA HPI national Survey of Dental Fees and are adjusted to each state using BEA RPP. The result is a transparent, citation-backed view of dental procedure prices across the country.

The dataset captures the gap that matters most to consumers: roughly 40 of 51 jurisdictions have at least limited adult dental coverage in the MACPAC snapshot; the remaining 11 have either emergency-only or no adult coverage. That tier is not a procedure-level benefit decision, and the cost figures are state-level estimates rather than a patient's quote. We do not invent numbers and we do not extrapolate beyond what each source says, when data is missing, the table cell shows "Data not available" rather than a guess.

Procedure Guides
Plain-English explanations of common dental procedures and what they cost.
Research
Original analysis of dental cost variation across the United States.
Methodology
How we collect, normalize, and present dental cost data.

Cost leaders

Top procedures by national private-market average

Mean private-market cost across all 51 jurisdictions. Click any procedure for state-by-state breakdown.

Procedure CDT Code Avg. private cost
Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatment - Adult D8090 $6,372
Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatment - Adolescent D8080 $5,944
Surgical Placement of Implant Body D6010 $2,312
Mandibular Partial Denture - Cast Metal Framework D5214 $2,065
Maxillary Partial Denture - Cast Metal Framework D5213 $2,065
Comprehensive Orthod…$6372Comprehensive Orthod…$5944Surgical Placement o…$2312Mandibular Partial D…$2065Maxillary Partial De…$2065Complete Denture - M…$1920Complete Denture - M…$1920Implant-Supported Po…$1843
Top 8 most expensive dental procedures (national private-market average)

Geography

Average private-market dental cost by state

Each state's average across the tracked procedures, blending state Medicaid reimbursement levels and local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities). Darker states run more expensive. The gauge is the share of jurisdictions with limited or extensive adult Medicaid dental in the MACPAC snapshot.

Average private-market dental cost by US state

AK
ME
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
UT
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Scale: $712–$763 $763–$814 $814–$866 $866–$917 $917–$968
View all 51 states as a list
  1. New York: $968
  2. District of Columbia: $960
  3. California: $935
  4. Hawaii: $935
  5. New Jersey: $935
  6. Massachusetts: $912
  7. Maryland: $910
  8. Washington: $904
  9. Connecticut: $902
  10. Alaska: $871
  11. New Hampshire: $865
  12. Colorado: $846
  13. Oregon: $844
  14. Virginia: $841
  15. Minnesota: $829
  16. Rhode Island: $829
  17. Delaware: $827
  18. Illinois: $824
  19. Vermont: $824
  20. Maine: $820
  21. Nevada: $820
  22. Florida: $819
  23. Pennsylvania: $805
  24. Arizona: $797
  25. Utah: $796
  26. Texas: $795
  27. Wisconsin: $790
  28. Wyoming: $786
  29. Michigan: $783
  30. Montana: $776
  31. Idaho: $772
  32. North Carolina: $764
  33. Georgia: $763
  34. New Mexico: $761
  35. North Dakota: $758
  36. Nebraska: $754
  37. South Carolina: $754
  38. Louisiana: $753
  39. Missouri: $753
  40. Ohio: $753
  41. Indiana: $750
  42. Kansas: $747
  43. Iowa: $746
  44. Tennessee: $746
  45. Oklahoma: $738
  46. Kentucky: $733
  47. South Dakota: $731
  48. Arkansas: $725
  49. West Virginia: $725
  50. Alabama: $715
  51. Mississippi: $712

Source:

Adult Medicaid dental coverage share

0%100%78%
78% of jurisdictions · limited or extensive adult dental
40 of 51 jurisdictions carry limited or extensive adult dental in the MACPAC snapshot (78%). Emergency-only and no-coverage states are outside this share.

Browse every state →

Geography

Does Medicaid track the private market, state by state?

Across the 40 states with published Medicaid fee schedules: average Medicaid reimbursement (x) against the private-market average (y). The two track together (r ≈ +0.68), but Medicaid's share of the private rate splits sharply in two, not a single typical share: about half the states cover roughly 6-9% of the private rate, the other half 29-52%, with no state in between.

Medicaid reimbursement vs. private-market cost, by state

Each dot is one state's average Medicaid reimbursement and private-market cost across the tracked procedures.

High Medicaid & high privateLow Medicaid, high privateHigh Medicaid, low privateLow Medicaid & low private$24.6$136.6$248.5$360.4$472.4$712.9$779.7$846.5$913.3$980.1Average Medicaid reimbursementAverage private-market costAlaska, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $452 · Average private-market cost: $871Arkansas, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $48 · Average private-market cost: $725California, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $329 · Average private-market cost: $935Colorado, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $61 · Average private-market cost: $846Connecticut, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $368 · Average private-market cost: $902District of Columbia, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $404 · Average private-market cost: $960Hawaii, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $88 · Average private-market cost: $935Iowa, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $301 · Average private-market cost: $746Idaho, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $51 · Average private-market cost: $772Illinois, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $240 · Average private-market cost: $824Indiana, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $48 · Average private-market cost: $750Kentucky, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $53 · Average private-market cost: $733Louisiana, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $52 · Average private-market cost: $753Massachusetts, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $357 · Average private-market cost: $912Maryland, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $326 · Average private-market cost: $910Maine, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $60 · Average private-market cost: $820Michigan, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $262 · Average private-market cost: $783Minnesota, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $396 · Average private-market cost: $829Missouri, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $48 · Average private-market cost: $753Montana, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $63 · Average private-market cost: $776North Carolina, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $57 · Average private-market cost: $764North Dakota, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $368 · Average private-market cost: $758Nebraska, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $59 · Average private-market cost: $754New Hampshire, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $284 · Average private-market cost: $865New Jersey, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $329 · Average private-market cost: $935New Mexico, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $55 · Average private-market cost: $761Nevada, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $56 · Average private-market cost: $820New York, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $421 · Average private-market cost: $968Ohio, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $52 · Average private-market cost: $753Oregon, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $326 · Average private-market cost: $844Pennsylvania, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $48 · Average private-market cost: $805Rhode Island, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $290 · Average private-market cost: $829South Carolina, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $46 · Average private-market cost: $754Utah, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $55 · Average private-market cost: $796Virginia, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $301 · Average private-market cost: $841Vermont, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $323 · Average private-market cost: $824Washington, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $337 · Average private-market cost: $904Wisconsin, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $63 · Average private-market cost: $790West Virginia, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $45 · Average private-market cost: $725Wyoming, Average Medicaid reimbursement: $70 · Average private-market cost: $786
Source: state Medicaid fee schedules reconciled against the ADA Medicaid Reimbursement Compendium; private averages from the ADA Health Policy Institute Survey of Dental Fees. Crosshairs mark the median across states with both figures published.

States with adult Medicaid dental coverage

40 of 51 jurisdictions cover at least limited adult dental services.

Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky…

See all states →

Jurisdictions without limited or extensive adult coverage

11 jurisdictions are emergency-only or have no adult dental coverage in the MACPAC snapshot.

Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas

How to find affordable care →

The corpus

Browse by category

Oral Surgery (8) Restorative (8) Diagnostic (7) Endodontics (6) Prosthodontics (6) Adjunctive (5) Implants (5) Preventive (5) Crowns (4) Periodontics (4) Cosmetic (2) Orthodontics (2)

Deeper reads

Research & analysis

Top states by Medicaid dental coverage breadth Which states cover the most procedures under Medicaid Procedures with the largest Medicaid–private spreads Where Medicaid fees diverge most from private-pay cost Top procedures by number of states covering them Procedures with the broadest Medicaid coverage footprint Most expensive dental procedures ranked National averages sorted by private-market cost Wisdom tooth removal cost guide CDT codes, state averages, and insurance paths Dental crown cost guide Material types, lab fees, and insurance coverage

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PlainDentalCost?

PlainDentalCost is an independent data portal that organizes dental procedure cost information published by state Medicaid agencies, the ADA Health Policy Institute, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. We cover 62 commonly-searched dental procedures (CDT D-codes) across all 50 US states plus the District of Columbia. Every cost figure on this site links back to a public, citable source.

Where do these dental cost numbers come from?

Two modeled streams. (1) Per-state Medicaid dollar estimates use the ADA Health Policy Institute Medicaid Reimbursement Compendium national average × a state multiplier (documented on the methodology page) - not a live pull of every state fee schedule. (2) Private-market estimates use the ADA HPI Survey of Dental Fees national baseline × BEA Regional Price Parities. Coverage tiers come from MACPAC. Confirm current benefits and fees with the state program or provider.

Why do dental costs vary so much from state to state?

Three factors shape the site's estimates. (1) The Medicaid model applies state multipliers to ADA HPI national averages; those are not live state payment rates. (2) BEA Regional Price Parities adjust the private-market benchmark by state, but do not predict a particular dentist's price. (3) Adult Medicaid coverage scope varies: 40 jurisdictions have comprehensive or limited coverage in the MACPAC snapshot; the remaining 11 have either emergency-only or no adult coverage. Confirm current benefits and fees with the state program.

Is this data free to use?

Yes. All data is sourced from public government datasets and the ADA Health Policy Institute's freely-distributed compendiums. There are no paywalls or account requirements. We cite every figure so you can verify and use it confidently. Note: CDT procedure codes are an ADA-copyrighted code set; we use them factually (code numbers + brief descriptions of what each procedure covers) which is a fair use, and we do not republish the CDT manual.

How current is the data?

Cost figures use 2024 ADA HPI compendium baselines. Per-state Medicaid coverage classifications are a dated database snapshot, not real-time benefits information. The data vintage shown on each page identifies the source snapshot; confirm current coverage, limits, and authorization requirements with your state Medicaid program before arranging care.

About this data

How PlainDentalCost works, and why you can trust these numbers

What this site is

PlainDentalCost organizes dental procedure cost information published by state Medicaid agencies, the ADA Health Policy Institute, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, covering 62 commonly-searched dental procedures (CDT D-codes) across all 50 states plus DC. Every cost figure is derived from a public, citable source named on the page.

Editorial process

  1. Source. Load ADA HPI Survey of Dental Fees and Medicaid Reimbursement Compendium baselines, MACPAC coverage tiers, and BEA Regional Price Parities.
  2. Verify. Scale private baselines by state RPP; model Medicaid dollars as national ADA HPI Medicaid average × state multiplier; align coverage flags to MACPAC tiers.
  3. Publish. Compile per-procedure and per-state pages showing modeled Medicaid and private-market cost estimates, with every figure traceable via the methodology page.

Editorial independence & corrections

CDT (Current Dental Terminology) codes are a copyrighted code set of the American Dental Association; PlainDentalCost references CDT codes factually for cost-transparency purposes (fair use) and does not republish the CDT manual. The PlainDentalCost editorial process is independent and accepts no advertising or sponsorship from dental providers or insurers. Found a figure that looks wrong? Reach us via the contact page; see our editorial standards and corrections policy for how we handle it, and our methodology for full source attribution.

Frequently asked

What is PlainDentalCost?

PlainDentalCost is an independent data portal that organizes dental procedure cost information published by state Medicaid agencies, the ADA Health Policy Institute, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. We cover 62 commonly-searched dental procedures (CDT D-codes) across all 50 US states plus the District of Columbia. Every cost figure on this site links back to a public, citable source.

Where do these dental cost numbers come from?

Two modeled streams. (1) Per-state Medicaid dollar estimates use the ADA Health Policy Institute Medicaid Reimbursement Compendium national average × a state multiplier (documented on the methodology page) - not a live pull of every state fee schedule. (2) Private-market estimates use the ADA HPI Survey of Dental Fees national baseline × BEA Regional Price Parities. Coverage tiers come from MACPAC. Confirm current benefits and fees with the state program or provider.

Why do dental costs vary so much from state to state?

Three factors shape the site's estimates. (1) The Medicaid model applies state multipliers to ADA HPI national averages; those are not live state payment rates. (2) BEA Regional Price Parities adjust the private-market benchmark by state, but do not predict a particular dentist's price. (3) Adult Medicaid coverage scope varies: 40 jurisdictions have comprehensive or limited coverage in the MACPAC snapshot; the remaining 11 have either emergency-only or no adult coverage. Confirm current benefits and fees with the state program.

Is this data free to use?

Yes. All data is sourced from public government datasets and the ADA Health Policy Institute's freely-distributed compendiums. There are no paywalls or account requirements. We cite every figure so you can verify and use it confidently. Note: CDT procedure codes are an ADA-copyrighted code set; we use them factually (code numbers + brief descriptions of what each procedure covers) which is a fair use, and we do not republish the CDT manual.

How current is the data?

Cost figures use 2024 ADA HPI compendium baselines. Per-state Medicaid coverage classifications are a dated database snapshot, not real-time benefits information. The data vintage shown on each page identifies the source snapshot; confirm current coverage, limits, and authorization requirements with your state Medicaid program before arranging care.

All procedures → All states → Rankings → Tools → Statistics → Download CSV → Guides → Methodology →

Open-data extract (same CSV as /statistics): dental-cost-statistics.csv.

Every dollar figure on PlainDentalCost is rendered directly from our procedure-cost database (ADA Health Policy Institute Survey of Dental Fees 2024 averages and state adult-Medicaid coverage records), and no number is typed in by an editor. Medicaid dollar values are modeled estimates, not published state fee schedules. Homepage figures are rebuilt from ADA HPI fee baselines, MACPAC adult-dental tiers, and BEA Regional Price Parities stored in the portal database. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Our database was last rebuilt on 16 May 2026.

PlainDentalCost publishes cost reference data for informational purposes only. It is not dental, medical, insurance, or financial advice, it does not describe what any particular practice will charge you, and coverage rules change, so confirm fees with the provider and benefits with the state Medicaid program before you rely on a number. Appropriate use.