Amalgam - Three Surfaces (Permanent)

The roughly 36% spread between the lowest- and highest-cost states for amalgam - three surfaces (permanent) comes almost entirely from cost of living, not from differences in clinical complexity. A dentist's fee for a D2160 procedure in Mississippi (BEA RPP 86.4) versus New York (BEA RPP 117.5) tracks the local rent, wages, and supply costs the practice has to cover. The ADA HPI national average we start from is the population-weighted survey value across all surveyed practices.

The Medicaid coverage column matters more than the Medicaid fee itself for most adults. In the 40 jurisdictions that do reimburse for amalgam - three surfaces (permanent) under their adult Medicaid program, the reimbursement averages around $119 — about 45% of the average private fee. Practices that accept Medicaid are absorbing the gap, which is why "Medicaid-accepting dentist" is not always easy to find. For a state-specific look at adult dental coverage scope, see each state page.

When budgeting for this procedure: treat the private estimate as a midpoint, not a ceiling. Specialty providers (oral surgeons, prosthodontists, periodontists) typically charge 15–40% above the general dentist rate for procedures within their specialty. Get a written treatment estimate before treatment, and ask whether the figure is the procedure fee alone or whether it bundles diagnostic codes (X-rays, exams) commonly billed alongside.