Dental costs by state
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Lowest average private estimates
| # | State | Avg private |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $712 |
| 2 | Alabama | $715 |
| 3 | West Virginia | $725 |
| 4 | Arkansas | $725 |
| 5 | South Dakota | $731 |
| 6 | Kentucky | $733 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $738 |
| 8 | Tennessee | $746 |
| 9 | Iowa | $746 |
| 10 | Kansas | $747 |
| 11 | Indiana | $750 |
| 12 | Ohio | $753 |
Procedure-mix averages with BEA RPP applied, not a quote for one service.
Extensive coverage (comprehensive adult dental) (19)
Limited coverage (preventive + basic restorative) (21)
Emergency only (extractions for acute pain) (10)
No adult coverage (1)
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.
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.
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.