Dental costs by state

Name: PlainDentalCost Adult Dental Cost Statistics by Jurisdiction
Creator: PlainDentalCost
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

According to this portal's Publishing Organization, this page was last reviewed in August 2026 against our methodology. Figures and extracts on this site, including tables above 1,000 rows when the corpus is that large, are the publisher's responsibility.

All 51 US jurisdictions, grouped by adult Medicaid dental coverage scope. According to state Medicaid fee schedules and BEA Regional Price Parities, the same dental procedure runs roughly a third more in the most expensive states than the cheapest, so where you live materially changes what you pay out of pocket.

Download the dental cost statistics dataset (CSV) , open jurisdiction extract wired into this page's Dataset JSON-LD.

Why coverage scope matters

Adult Medicaid dental coverage is one of the few benefits states are not federally required to provide. As a result, the scope varies dramatically. 19 jurisdictions cover comprehensive services (cleanings, fillings, crowns, dentures, root canals); 21 cover a limited subset (typically preventive + basic restorative, often subject to an annual dollar cap); 10 cover emergencies only (extractions for acute pain); and 1 provide no adult dental benefit at all.

On RPP-adjusted private averages, New York leads at about $968 while Mississippi sits near $712. Rankings below sort the same modeled extract both ways, not a single-service quote.

The coverage tier you see for your state is the categorization in MACPAC's Medicaid Coverage of Dental Benefits for Adults compendium, which is updated periodically as state programs add or remove benefits.

Highest average private estimates

#	State	Avg private	RPP
1	New York	$968	117.5
2	District of Columbia	$960	116.5
3	California	$935	113.5
4	Hawaii	$935	113.4
5	New Jersey	$935	113.4
6	Massachusetts	$912	110.7
7	Maryland	$910	110.4
8	Washington	$904	109.7
9	Connecticut	$902	109.4
10	Alaska	$871	105.7
11	New Hampshire	$865	105.0
12	Colorado	$846	102.7
13	Oregon	$844	102.4
14	Virginia	$841	102.0
15	Minnesota	$829	100.6
16	Rhode Island	$829	100.6
17	Delaware	$827	100.4
18	Illinois	$824	100.0
19	Vermont	$824	100.0
20	Maine	$820	99.5
21	Nevada	$820	99.5
22	Florida	$819	99.4
23	Pennsylvania	$805	97.7
24	Arizona	$797	96.7
25	Utah	$796	96.6
26	Texas	$795	96.5
27	Wisconsin	$790	95.8
28	Wyoming	$786	95.4
29	Michigan	$783	95.0
30	Montana	$776	94.1
31	Idaho	$772	93.7
32	North Carolina	$764	92.7
33	Georgia	$763	92.6
34	New Mexico	$761	92.4
35	North Dakota	$758	92.0
36	Nebraska	$754	91.5
37	South Carolina	$754	91.5
38	Louisiana	$753	91.4
39	Missouri	$753	91.4
40	Ohio	$753	91.4
41	Indiana	$750	91.0
42	Kansas	$747	90.7
43	Iowa	$746	90.5
44	Tennessee	$746	90.5
45	Oklahoma	$738	89.6
46	Kentucky	$733	89.0
47	South Dakota	$731	88.7
48	Arkansas	$725	88.0
49	West Virginia	$725	88.0
50	Alabama	$715	86.7
51	Mississippi	$712	86.4

Lowest average private estimates

#	State	Avg private	RPP
1	Mississippi	$712	86.4
2	Alabama	$715	86.7
3	West Virginia	$725	88.0
4	Arkansas	$725	88.0
5	South Dakota	$731	88.7
6	Kentucky	$733	89.0
7	Oklahoma	$738	89.6
8	Tennessee	$746	90.5
9	Iowa	$746	90.5
10	Kansas	$747	90.7
11	Indiana	$750	91.0
12	Ohio	$753	91.4
13	Missouri	$753	91.4
14	Louisiana	$753	91.4
15	South Carolina	$754	91.5
16	Nebraska	$754	91.5
17	North Dakota	$758	92.0
18	New Mexico	$761	92.4
19	Georgia	$763	92.6
20	North Carolina	$764	92.7
21	Idaho	$772	93.7
22	Montana	$776	94.1
23	Michigan	$783	95.0
24	Wyoming	$786	95.4
25	Wisconsin	$790	95.8
26	Texas	$795	96.5
27	Utah	$796	96.6
28	Arizona	$797	96.7
29	Pennsylvania	$805	97.7
30	Florida	$819	99.4
31	Nevada	$820	99.5
32	Maine	$820	99.5
33	Vermont	$824	100.0
34	Illinois	$824	100.0
35	Delaware	$827	100.4
36	Rhode Island	$829	100.6
37	Minnesota	$829	100.6
38	Virginia	$841	102.0
39	Oregon	$844	102.4
40	Colorado	$846	102.7
41	New Hampshire	$865	105.0
42	Alaska	$871	105.7
43	Connecticut	$902	109.4
44	Washington	$904	109.7
45	Maryland	$910	110.4
46	Massachusetts	$912	110.7
47	New Jersey	$935	113.4
48	Hawaii	$935	113.4
49	California	$935	113.5
50	District of Columbia	$960	116.5
51	New York	$968	117.5

Procedure-mix averages with BEA RPP applied, not a quote for one service.

States ranked by average Medicaid reimbursement

Alaska pays the most per procedure on this extract, averaging $452 across covered Medicaid fee schedules, versus $45 in West Virginia. 11 jurisdictions in this extract report no adult dental Medicaid fee schedule and are excluded, not zero-ranked.

#	State	Avg Medicaid fee	Coverage tier
1	Alaska	$452	Extensive coverage
2	New York	$421	Extensive coverage
3	District of Columbia	$404	Extensive coverage
4	Minnesota	$396	Extensive coverage
5	Connecticut	$368	Extensive coverage
6	North Dakota	$368	Extensive coverage
7	Massachusetts	$357	Extensive coverage
8	Washington	$337	Extensive coverage
9	California	$329	Extensive coverage
10	New Jersey	$329	Extensive coverage
11	Maryland	$326	Extensive coverage
12	Oregon	$326	Extensive coverage
13	Vermont	$323	Extensive coverage
14	Iowa	$301	Extensive coverage
15	Virginia	$301	Extensive coverage
16	Rhode Island	$290	Extensive coverage
17	New Hampshire	$284	Extensive coverage
18	Michigan	$262	Extensive coverage
19	Illinois	$240	Extensive coverage
20	Hawaii Limited coverage	$88	Limited coverage
21	Wyoming Limited coverage	$70	Limited coverage
22	Montana Limited coverage	$63	Limited coverage
23	Wisconsin Limited coverage	$63	Limited coverage
24	Colorado Limited coverage	$61	Limited coverage
25	Maine Limited coverage	$60	Limited coverage
26	Nebraska Limited coverage	$59	Limited coverage
27	North Carolina Limited coverage	$57	Limited coverage
28	Nevada Limited coverage	$56	Limited coverage
29	New Mexico Limited coverage	$55	Limited coverage
30	Utah Limited coverage	$55	Limited coverage
31	Kentucky Limited coverage	$53	Limited coverage
32	Louisiana Limited coverage	$52	Limited coverage
33	Ohio Limited coverage	$52	Limited coverage
34	Idaho Limited coverage	$51	Limited coverage
35	Arkansas Limited coverage	$48	Limited coverage
36	Indiana Limited coverage	$48	Limited coverage
37	Missouri Limited coverage	$48	Limited coverage
38	Pennsylvania Limited coverage	$48	Limited coverage
39	South Carolina Limited coverage	$46	Limited coverage
40	West Virginia Limited coverage	$45	Limited coverage

Published state Medicaid fee-schedule averages across modeled procedures, not a per-procedure quote. "Limited coverage" states average across a narrower, cheaper procedure set (preventive + basic restorative) than extensive-coverage states, which cover comprehensive services including crowns, dentures, and root canals -- the two figures are not a like-for-like comparison.

Extensive coverage (comprehensive adult dental) (19)

Emergency only (extractions for acute pain) (10)

No adult coverage (1)

Delaware

RPP 100.4 · code DE

Frequently Asked Questions

Which state has the highest average private-market dental costs?

New York leads this extract at about $968 average private estimate across modeled procedures (BEA Regional Price Parities applied to national fee references). That is a procedure-mix average, not a single-service quote.

Which state has the lowest average private-market dental costs?

Mississippi sits at the low end of this extract at about $712 average private estimate. RPP-adjusted averages still vary by the procedure mix modeled on each state page.

Which states offer extensive adult Medicaid dental coverage?

19 jurisdictions in this MACPAC-aligned extract are tagged extensive (comprehensive adult dental). 1 provide no adult dental benefit. Coverage tier is policy scope, not a quality score, click any state for procedure-level Medicaid vs private figures.

How does PlainDentalCost estimate private dental prices by state?

Private estimates combine national fee references with each state's BEA Regional Price Parity. Medicaid fees come from published state fee schedules where a procedure is covered. Vintage on this page is the source data year 2024 - see methodology for refresh cadence.

Which state pays dental providers the most through Medicaid?

Alaska averages about $452 per covered procedure on this extract's published Medicaid fee schedules, the highest reimbursement in this dataset. Reimbursement level does not by itself change out-of-pocket cost for a covered patient; it reflects the state's fee-schedule generosity, which affects provider participation.

Coverage tier source: MACPAC, Medicaid Coverage of Dental Benefits for Adults (compendium). Regional Price Parities: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (most recent annual release). State coverage policy can change, when a state restores or reduces adult dental benefits we update the affected state pages.

Compiled by PlainDentalCost

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. 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.