Denture costs by type
Published averages for complete, immediate, premium, partial and flexible dentures, the upkeep to budget for, and how they compare with implants.
5 minutes to read / Next price check due 2026-12-07
What the implant estimator works out: 12 jobs
- Dental implant cost calculator tap the missing teeth on the chart and see the price for exactly those teeth, not one national average.
- Cost by state US prices scaled to your state with the 2024 Synchrony state table.
- Extraction and bone graft cost add the extras a quote often leaves out: pulling the tooth, a bone graft or a sinus lift.
- Check your quote type the price a dentist quoted and see where it falls against the survey's specialist, overall and dearest-city medians for your state.
- Monthly payments drag the slider to spread the bill over 6 to 60 months and see the monthly amount.
- What a dental plan pays enter the plan's maximum, deductible and share, for one plan year on the estimator or split across two on the insurance page.
- Implants abroad, in your currency pick where you live (17 countries) and where you'd travel; the clinic price at the destination appears in your money, then the full total once flights and hotel are in, with days off and a repair reserve.
- State price map tap any state on the map, or the buttons for the small ones, to see its implant price.
- Implant, bridge or partial over 20 years one missing tooth: which option costs least over time, with failure rates from published studies.
- Full-mouth and All-on-4 over 20 years a whole jaw: fixed bridge against snap-in and plain dentures, per arch or both, with your own upkeep assumption.
- HSA, FSA and tax savings how much paying from a health account or deducting the bill can save, checked against the 2026 or 2027 limits.
- Veneers cost price porcelain or composite veneers for the number of teeth you want, from the 2023 survey, adjusted to your state.
Dentures are still the most common way to replace a full set of teeth. CDC figures show that 15% of adults aged 65 or older had lost all their teeth and 26% had eight or fewer (CDC, tooth loss fast facts, May 15, 2024). Prices vary more than people expect, mostly because of materials and the number of fittings.
Published averages
| Type | National average | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic dentures (upper and lower) | $452 | Economy, few adjustments |
| Traditional dentures (upper and lower) | $1,968 | Made after the gums have healed |
| Immediate dentures | $2,178 | Ready the day teeth come out; usually relined or remade later |
| Snap-on dentures | $2,480 | Denture made to click onto implants (the survey doesn't say if the implants are included) |
| Overdentures | $3,136 | Denture that sits over implants or roots |
| Premium dentures (upper and lower) | $6,514 | Better teeth and base, more fittings |
| Acrylic partial ("flipper") | $605 | Often a temporary tooth |
| Resin partial | $1,738 | Removable, replaces a few teeth |
| Flexible nylon partial | $1,761 | No metal clasps |
| Metal-framework partial | $2,229 | Thinner and more rigid |
Source: 2024 Synchrony Average Procedural Cost Study, as published on CareCredit's procedure cost page, checked 30 Oct 2026.
Upper, lower or both? The survey labels several lines "upper and lower" without saying whether the price is for one plate or a pair. Its companion article gives conventional dentures an average of $1,968 with a range of $1,520 to $3,648 "depending on if you need an upper and lower plate" (CareCredit, Dec. 6, 2024). Our calculators treat $1,968 as one arch, which may overstate the cost of a pair. Ask the practice to price each plate.
What dentures cost over time
Dentures don't last forever: gums and bone change shape after teeth are lost, and the fit loosens. The American College of Prosthodontists lists several conditions under which a denture should be evaluated for replacement, one of them being in use for more than five years, and states: "There is currently no evidence to determine the frequency of denture relines, rebasing, or remakes" (ACP position statement, 2015, reaffirmed 2018).
| Remake every | Conventional denture, one arch, 20 years |
|---|---|
| 5 years | $7,872 (day one + 3 remakes) |
| 7 years | $5,904 (day one + 2 remakes) |
| 10 years | $3,936 (day one + 1 remake) |
National prices, no relines counted. Use the 20-year comparison to set your own cycle and state.
Worked example: both jaws in Mississippi, and the "one plate or two" question
Mississippi's index is 0.862 ($1,848 over $2,143). Because the survey wording is unclear, the same plan gives two very different budgets:
| If $1,968 prices… | Day one, both jaws | 20 years, remade every 5 |
|---|---|---|
| one plate (how our calculators read it) | 2 × $1,968 × 0.862 = about $3,390 | 4 × that = about $13,580 |
| the upper and lower pair | about $1,700 | about $6,790 |
The first row is what the calculator on the full-arch page shows for Mississippi with "Both jaws", a 20-year look-ahead and a five-year remake cycle (the last two set under Details). The second row simply halves it, our calculation. The gap, close to $7,000 over 20 years, comes from one ambiguous label, which is why the first of the questions below matters most.
Immediate versus conventional
An immediate denture is placed on the day the teeth are taken out, so you aren't without teeth while the gums heal. The trade-off is that the gums shrink in the following months, so the denture usually needs relining or replacing. When comparing quotes, check whether the immediate denture price includes the later reline or a second, final denture.
What the second denture adds. If the plan is an immediate denture now and a conventional one once the gums have settled, the national averages add up to $2,178 + $1,968 = $4,146 for that arch, against $1,968 for waiting and having only the conventional one, our arithmetic. A reline may do the job of a second denture; the survey has no reline line, so ask the practice what a reline costs before choosing.
Partial dentures
A partial replaces one or several teeth and clips onto the remaining ones. For a single gap it's the cheapest start: $1,738 for resin against $4,000 for a complete implant tooth. Over 20 years with five-year remakes, the resin partial reaches $6,952 nationally against about $4,570 for the implant. The single-gap comparison shows when the lines cross for your state.
Paying for dentures
- Dental plans often treat dentures as "major" work. The most common coinsurance KFF found for extensive services in Medicare Advantage dental benefits was 50% (KFF, 2021; KFF's June 5, 2026 review of 2026 plans has no newer cost-sharing number, see KFF, June 2026).
- Original Medicare doesn't pay for dentures (Medicare.gov).
- Medicaid adult dental coverage is up to each state; there are no minimum requirements (Medicaid.gov). Ask your state Medicaid office whether dentures are included.
- HSA and FSA money can pay for dentures: IRS Publication 502 lists dentures under dental treatment (IRS Pub. 502).
- Community health centers and dental schools. The federal health resources agency says many health centers set the cost by income, and that dental school students treat patients under licensed supervision; how to find both is on the Medicare and Medicaid page.
Questions to ask
- Does the price cover one plate or both?
- How many fittings and adjustments are included?
- If I get immediate dentures, is the reline or final denture in the price?
- What do relines and repairs cost here?
- Would two implants under the lower denture be worth considering for me?
Seen a newer price survey or a figure that's off? Send a correction