Dentures Cost $3,000, Finds Wealthy Dentist Survey of Dentists and Prosthodontists

The average cost of dentures runs about $2,900 for a full set of upper and lower dentures, found a survey by dental marketing resource The Wealthy Dentist. Fully 96% of general dental practices offer dentures.

However, there is great variation in the cost of dentures. Some general dentists reported charging $1,000, while one prosthodontist defended his $10,000 fee for dentures. Prosthodontists (dentists who have completed extra schooling on dentures, dental implants, and more) charge more for dentures than do general dentists — on average, over $500 more.

The cost of dentures also has to do with where you live. This survey found dentures to be most expensive in the Northeast. Dentures cost about $400 more there than in the Western mountain states, where dentists offer the most affordable dentures.

Many dentists complain that dentures lead to a lot of work and small dentist profits. "For what you do and the expectations, it should be twice that!" said an Illinois dentist who charges $2,800. "Whatever you can charge, it's never enough," agreed a Tennessee dentist charging $3,000.

Dental implants greatly improve the stability of the lower denture. "I will only do lower complete dentures on dental implant support," said a Kentucky dentist. Agreed a North Dakota dentist, "I insist on having two denture implants placed to support the lower denture, which adds approximately $5000 to the total cost. I've given up on free-floating lower dentures."

The occasional denture dentist genuinely enjoys providing denture treatment. "Most denture cases are fun," said an Oregon dentist. "The patients are grateful and not demanding in terms of scheduling, and they don't complain if they have to wait five minutes."

But many dentists don't enjoy dentures. "Dentures cause me more headaches in my practice than anything else I do. Especially immediate dentures, which decrease in fit as the patient heals," said an Indiana dentist. Agreed a California dental implantologist, "There are times when no amount of money could compensate for the grief of doing dentures!"

With prosthodontics, patients often get what they pay for. "As a board-certified prosthodontist, my fee is in line with the quality of the service I offer," said a New Jersey prosthodontist charging $10,000 for complete dentures. "Usually the treatment at the chair is 8-10 hours and the finishing /characterization time from our in-house Master Tech could take 6+ hours."

"Sometimes affordable dentures can be a terrible investment," said Jim Du Molin, founder of dental continuing education resource The Wealthy Dentist. "Getting a set of false teeth that don't fit you properly is only going to lead to misery."