Cavity filling cost: a tooth-colored filling, before and after your plan
Pick a state and your coverage: the estimator prices one common filling and shows the deductible and coinsurance on it.
You pay for filling in New York
$69
$145 billed, $76 paid by the plan.
| Estimated dentist charge (full fee) | $294 |
| Estimated in-network price | $145 |
| Plan pays (80 % after deductible) | $76 |
| Deductible | $50 |
| New York Medicaid fee, same codes (2024) | $68 |
Estimate: New York Medicaid fee ÷ 26.1 % (Medicaid pay as a share of dentists' charges, ADA HPI 2024). Brought to September 2026 with the dental services price index (BLS). Not a quote.
| CDT code | Service | Count | Medicaid fee, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| D2392 | Resin composite, two surfaces, posterior | 1 | $67.67 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How prices are estimated · state Medicaid fee schedules, ADA ratios of 2024, BLS dental price index · not a quote
The filling priced here is a common one, and one of the codes the ADA used to compare Medicaid pay with dentists' fees: a tooth-colored resin composite covering two surfaces of a back tooth, code D2392. Its typical full fee is estimated at a median $277 in September 2026 dollars, from $151 in Kentucky to $411 in Missouri, across the 26 states whose Medicaid fee schedules list the code. A private plan's network price is lower, about $158. Fillings are basic services in most plans. The Covered California 2026 example plan pays 80 % of basic work in network after a $50 deductible: on the first filling of the plan year the patient pays $72, because the deductible comes first, and on the next one $32. Fillings with one surface cost less and those with three or more cost more; front teeth and silver amalgam fillings have codes of their own.
How fillings are coded and priced
Every filling is billed by material, position and number of surfaces. A resin composite on a back tooth is D2391 for one surface, D2392 for two, D2393 for three and D2394 for four or more. Front teeth use D2330 to D2335, and silver amalgam fillings D2140 to D2161. The estimator prices D2392 because it is one of the codes the ADA Health Policy Institute put in the basket behind its 2024 state ratios, so the estimate rests on a code that the ratio itself measured.
A two-surface filling usually means the decay reached the side of the tooth as well as its biting surface. The office's quote shows the code, and a different number of surfaces moves the price in the obvious direction. Anesthetic is normally included; X-rays and the exam that found the cavity are separate lines.
| Code | Filling | Priced here |
|---|---|---|
| D2391 | Resin composite, one surface, back tooth | No |
| D2392 | Resin composite, two surfaces, back tooth | Yes |
| D2393 | Resin composite, three surfaces, back tooth | No |
| D2150 | Amalgam, two surfaces | No |
Why this estimate is one of the firmest on the site
Every price here divides a state's Medicaid fee by that state's ratio between Medicaid pay and dentists' charges. The ratio is an average over a basket of common codes; for codes outside the basket, such as crowns or implants, Medicaid may pay a different fraction of the usual fee and the estimate carries that error. D2392 is inside the basket for both children and adults, and the state schedules read for this site list it widely, so the filling estimate needs fewer assumptions than most. The method page explains the basket and lists the schedules used.
A two-surface filling, state by state
Filling: median of 26 states, full fee
$277
| Highest: Missouri | $411 |
| Median | $277 |
| Lowest: Kentucky | $151 |
What a plan pays on a filling
Plans put fillings in the basic class, between preventive care, often paid in full, and major work such as crowns. The example plan, Covered California's 2026 adult coinsurance plan, pays 80 % of basic services in network once the $50 deductible is met, and 70 % out of network. Its 6-month waiting period applies to major services, not to fillings.
Three cases at the median estimate show how the bill moves. In network, first filling of the year: $72 for the patient, of which $50 is deductible. In network, deductible already met: $32. Out of network with the deductible met, the plan pays its share of its allowance and the office may bill the rest of its full fee, so the patient owes $166. Fillings rarely touch the yearly maximum of $1,500 on their own, but they count against it, which matters if a crown or root canal follows in the same plan year.
Your share of a filling, with your deductible
You pay for filling in New York
$69
| Estimated dentist charge (full fee) | $294 |
| Estimated in-network price | $145 |
| Plan pays (80 % after deductible) | $76 |
| Deductible | $50 |
Fillings, crowns and what comes next
A filling repairs part of a tooth; when too little of the tooth is left, a dentist may propose a crown instead, which is major work with a median estimate of $1,713 across 18 states. Which treatment a tooth needs is the dentist's call, and this site takes no side; the price gap simply explains why a small cavity treated early costs less than a large one. The crown page prices that next step.
Children's fillings
The estimate describes an adult patient: it uses the adult fee of each schedule and the adult ratio when the state has one. Fees for children can differ, and many schedules list separate amounts by age. Coverage differs more. Federal Medicaid rules require dental benefits for every child enrolled in Medicaid, and separate CHIP programs must cover the dental services needed to prevent disease and promote oral health, so a child's filling is a covered service in every state program. For adults, each state decides, and the Medicaid dental page reports the level of adult coverage state by state. Private family plans often have a separate deductible for children; the example plan's is $75.
Without a plan
A patient paying alone is billed the office's full fee unless it offers a cash price. Asking for the price of the code, and for the network price if the office belongs to any plan network, is a reasonable step before the visit. The page on paying without insurance sets out the options, and the teeth cleaning page the cost of the checkups that find cavities while they are small.