How many dentists publish their prices?
Share of 233 general dental practices across ten cities that show a price for each treatment anywhere on their website.
Most practices that publish anything publish a check-up and clean offer or a whitening price. Prices for the treatments people actually worry about, like root canals, crowns and extractions, are rare.
What the clinics that do publish prices charge
Advertised prices found on clinics' own websites. "Typical" is the median of each clinic's lowest advertised price, so it leans towards "from" prices and deals.
| Treatment | Clinics | Lowest | Typical | Highest | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check-up and clean | 116 | $99 | $200 | $516 | Most published prices are new patient deals |
| In-chair whitening | 67 | $200 | $600 | $1,500 | |
| Crown (single tooth) | 33 | $290 | $1,600 | $3,500 | Lowest is porcelain fused to metal; cheapest full ceramic crown found was $460 |
| Root canal (whole tooth) | 22 | $800 | $1,100 | $3,500 | Molars cost more than front teeth; crown usually extra |
| Porcelain veneer (per tooth) | 25 | $550 | $1,500 | $3,500 | |
| Dental implant with crown | 18 | $2,798 | $4,000 | $8,000 | Lowest is a promotional price |
The same single crown was advertised from $290 at one clinic and up to $3,500 at another. Even comparing like for like, the cheapest full ceramic crown we found was $460.
Check-up and clean: price by city
Median published price for an adult check-up and clean (usually with x-rays), based on each clinic's lowest advertised price. Hobart is left out because only three clinics published a price.
| City | Clinics | Median | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wollongong | 12 | $183 | $150 | $255 |
| Brisbane | 22 | $199 | $140 | $250 |
| Melbourne | 13 | $199 | $99 | $380 |
| Adelaide | 10 | $199 | $189 | $249 |
| Gold Coast | 10 | $199 | $170 | $269 |
| Perth | 10 | $214 | $140 | $350 |
| Sydney | 20 | $225 | $99 | $299 |
| Newcastle | 6 | $242 | $145 | $299 |
| Canberra | 10 | $255 | $199 | $350 |
57% of the check-up prices we found were new patient offers. Clinics that listed a standard, non-promotional price charged a median of $233.
What this means if you need a dentist
- Ask for an itemised quote with ADA item numbers before treatment starts. It lets you compare clinics and check what your health fund will pay.
- Check what a "from" price includes. Crown and implant prices often leave out x-rays, the core build-up, the abutment or sedation.
- A $199 check-up is usually a first visit deal. Ask what the next one costs.
- Prices vary a lot between clinics in the same city. Getting a second quote on anything over $1,000 is worth it.
Need help now? Get dental help in your city or use the form below and we'll match you with a dentist and email you their introduction. Reply to it and they'll be in touch.
How we did it
- In September 2026 we checked 233 general dental practices, a list built in advance across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong and Hobart. For each we read the homepage and up to five fee, offer or treatment pages. These 233 are the basis of the "how many publish prices" figures.
- We then searched for a further 159 clinics in the same cities that publish prices, to build a larger price sample. These are used for the price figures only, not the transparency figures.
- Only prices printed on a clinic's own website were used. No price comparison sites, surveys or health fund figures. Health fund member-only prices and multi-tooth packages were left out.
- Where a clinic gave a range, we used the bottom of the range for "lowest" and "typical" and the top for "highest". Where a clinic listed several prices for one treatment, we used its lowest.
- This is not a random sample, and some cities have few data points. Treat the city figures as a guide, not a precise average.
- Journalists: the full clinic-level dataset, with source URLs, is available on request.