How Much Do Dentures Cost?

If you are trying to budget for dentures, start with an uncomfortable fact: nobody publishes a true national average price. Not the American Dental Association, not the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, not any federal agency. What does exist are real, posted fee lists, and they show the spread. A federally qualified health center in Illinois charges $1,500 per arch for a complete denture at its full self-pay rate, and as little as about $175 per arch for patients who qualify at the lowest tier of its income-based sliding scale. One national chain advertises per-arch tiers running from $499 up to about $2,391. Both of those are per arch — one upper or one lower — so if you need both, the arithmetic roughly doubles.

Why There Is No Single Price for Dentures

Tooth loss is less common than it used to be, but it is far from rare. About 15% of adults 65 and older have no remaining natural teeth, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, which reports the figure dropped from 27.2% in 1999–2004 to 15.2% in 2017–March 2020 (page last reviewed May 2026).

That is a large group of people asking the same question you are. The reason they get so many different answers is that a denture is not one product at one price. It is a custom-made appliance, built by a specific lab from specific materials, fitted by a specific dentist, in a specific local market — and sold alongside several other services that appear as separate lines on the bill.

Dentures are priced per arch, not per mouth

Almost every fee schedule you will see prices an upper denture and a lower denture separately. Each one is an “arch.” If a page or an ad quotes you $1,071 or $499, read it as the price for one arch unless the page says otherwise.

That matters enormously when you are budgeting. If you need both arches replaced, the simple arithmetic on any per-arch figure is roughly double — two $1,500 arches is a $3,000 denture fee before extractions, X-rays or relines. That is plain addition on a sourced number, not a separately published “full-mouth price.”

Why “average cost of dentures” numbers online rarely hold up

Many sites quote a tidy national average. Trace it back and there is usually no public survey behind it. The ADA’s Health Policy Institute runs fee surveys, but no current public ADA, NIDCR or federal page publishes a single national-average denture dollar figure for consumers.

So this guide does something different: it cites two real, dated, clearly labeled price lists from opposite ends of the market, and explains what moves you from one end to the other.

Two Real, Dated Price Lists — What They Actually Say

Think of these two fee lists the way you would think of two gas stations on opposite sides of a state. Neither one is “the price of gas.” Together they show you the spread, and the reasons for the spread are the useful part.

A federally qualified health center: $1,500 per arch, or about $175 with a sliding scale

SIU Center for Family Medicine in Springfield, Illinois — a federally qualified health center (FQHC) affiliated with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine — publishes its 2025 Dental Sliding Scale Fee schedule, effective 3/1/25. This is an FQHC’s own self-pay fee list. It is not a dental-school student-clinic fee, and it is not a national average.

Its self-pay “Full Fee” column lists a complete denture, upper or lower, at $1,500 per arch. The same schedule also runs a five-tier, income-based sliding scale. At Slide 0 — for patients at or below 100% of the federal poverty level — the complete denture fee drops to $75 per arch, plus a flat lab fee of $100 per arch for sliding-fee patients. That is about $175 per arch in total at the lowest tier. Quoting the $75 alone would understate it.

Sliding-scale programs like this exist across the country at community health centers, with different income tiers and different fees. The number to take away is not $175 — it is that qualifying for a sliding scale can change the bill by an order of magnitude.

A national retail chain: $499 to $2,391 per arch, by tier

Aspen Dental publishes per-arch denture pricing on its own site. These are one chain’s advertised prices, checked October 20, 2026, and the page states pricing varies by location.

Tier	Advertised price, per arch
Basic	Starting at $499 (requires Aspen Dental Savings Plan membership, listed at $49/year)
Classic	Average $1,071 (range $871–$1,330)
Signature	Average $1,488 (range $1,295–$1,971)
Signature Elite	Average $1,841 (range $1,655–$2,391)

The same page states there are additional charges for relines and other required dentistry services, including extractions. That is the pattern you should expect everywhere: the denture fee is one line, not the whole bill.

What the spread between them means for you

Put the two lists side by side and a single complete denture arch runs roughly $175 to $2,391, depending on the type of clinic, the materials tier, and whether you qualify for income-based help. That spread is the answer to “it depends.”

Do not average the two together — blending an FQHC sliding-scale fee with a chain’s premium tier would produce a number that describes nobody. Use them as bookends, then get a written quote in your own area.

Full (Complete) Dentures

A complete, or conventional, denture replaces all the teeth in one arch. The American Dental Association’s MouthHealthy page describes conventional dentures as made and placed after the remaining teeth are removed and the tissues have healed — a wait that “may take several months.”

That waiting period is a real cost factor in two ways. You may go without teeth in that arch for a stretch, and the extractions themselves are billed separately from the denture. On SIU’s schedule, the complete denture is $1,500 per arch as of its 3/1/25 fee list; extractions, exams and X-rays sit on their own lines.

The upside of waiting is fit. Gums shrink as they heal after extractions, so a denture made after healing is built to the shape your mouth will actually keep for a while.

Partial Dentures

A partial denture replaces some teeth while your remaining natural teeth stay in place. It usually clasps or rests against those teeth, which is why your remaining teeth need to be healthy enough to carry the load.

Price for a partial is driven mainly by the framework. A cast metal framework with acrylic teeth is generally quoted higher than an all-acrylic partial, and flexible nylon-style partials are priced differently again. The number of teeth being replaced also moves the fee.

Both fee lists cited above do post partial prices. SIU’s 3/1/25 schedule lists a resin-base partial at $860 per arch, a flexible-base partial at $1,500 per arch and a cast-metal-base partial at $1,800 per arch (sliding-fee patients add flat lab fees of $200 acrylic or $350 metal per arch), while Aspen Dental advertises a Cast Partial averaging $1,395 and a Flexilytes Combo averaging $1,620 per arch, checked October 2026. When you get your treatment plan, ask the office to list the partial by its ADA procedure code and to say in writing which framework material that code covers. Two offices quoting “a partial” may be quoting two different appliances.

The ADA also describes an overdenture, which fits over a small number of prepared natural teeth or over implants. The ADA notes it helps “preserve your jawbone and provide stability” — a real clinical advantage, and typically a higher-cost route because of the preparation work involved.

Immediate Dentures

An immediate denture is, in the ADA’s words, “inserted on the same day that the remaining teeth are removed.” You do not go without teeth during healing. For many people that is the deciding factor.

Here is a detail that surprises people: an immediate denture does not automatically cost more at the point of sale. SIU’s own fee table charges the same $1,500 per arch for an immediate denture as for a complete denture on its 3/1/25 schedule.

The extra cost tends to show up later, not on the first invoice. Because gums shrink as they heal underneath a denture placed the same day, an immediate denture usually needs an earlier reline — and sometimes an earlier replacement — than a conventional one made after healing. Budget for that follow-up work when you compare the two routes, and ask the office directly whether a reline within the first year is included in the quoted fee or billed separately.

What Else Is on the Bill: Exams, Extractions, Relines and Repairs

A denture treatment plan is normally several line items, not one. Expect to see the exam and X-rays, any extractions, the denture itself, and the adjustments or relines afterward priced separately. Aspen Dental’s page says as much, noting additional charges for relines and other required services including extractions.

SIU’s schedule shows what those follow-up items can look like at one clinic, all dated to its 3/1/25 fee list and all separate from the $1,500 denture fee:

Follow-up service	SIU posted self-pay fee
Adjustment	$50 per arch
Reline, chairside	$100 per arch
Reline, lab	$250 per arch
Repair	$120–$150, depending on type

These are one clinic’s fees, not national figures — but the structure is universal. Relines are not optional extras you can skip forever; jaw ridges keep changing shape, and a denture that no longer fits is the main reason people stop wearing one.

One more long-run cost: the American College of Prosthodontists, in guidance published on the ADA’s site, advises having a denture evaluated for replacement if it has been more than five years since it was made. Day to day, the ADA says dentures should be cleaned by soaking and brushing with a non-abrasive denture cleanser and stored in water or cleanser solution when not worn — never in hot or boiling water, which can warp them.

What Pushes Your Price Up or Down

Two people in the same city can get quotes that differ by thousands of dollars. These are the levers behind that.

The materials and tier you choose

Within a single provider, tier alone can nearly quadruple the fee. Aspen Dental’s advertised range runs from $499 per arch at Basic to an average of $1,841 at Signature Elite, with that tier quoted as high as $2,391. Higher tiers typically mean different tooth and base materials and more refined shaping. Ask specifically what changes between tiers — and whether a warranty or included adjustments differ too.

How many teeth have to come out first

Extractions are their own line item, priced per tooth, and surgical extractions cost more than simple ones. If you need a full-arch clearance, this can rival the cost of the denture. Get the extraction count and per-tooth fee in writing before you compare offices.

Where you go for care

Community health centers, FQHCs like SIU Center for Family Medicine, and dental school clinics generally price below private and retail practices, in exchange for longer appointments, student or resident involvement, and waiting lists. Private offices and chains move faster. Neither is the right answer for everyone — but if cost is the binding constraint, the clinic type is the single biggest lever you control.

Whether you qualify for income-based help

This is the lever most people never check. SIU’s five-tier sliding scale runs from Slide 0 (at or below 100% of the federal poverty level) to Slide 4 (176–200%), and at the lowest tier a complete denture is $75 per arch plus a $100 flat lab fee — about $175 per arch. Ask any community health center whether it has a sliding fee scale and what documents prove income. For insurance limits, waiting periods, discount plans and financing, see our guide to Paying for Dentures.

A Word on Implants, Which Are Priced Differently

Implant-supported options — snap-in overdentures or fixed full-arch bridges — are a different category of expense and should never be added to a denture quote to make a combined total.

For scale, the University of Iowa College of Dentistry’s own patient page states that a single dental implant at that school costs $2,000–$5,000 when placed by a dental student, $3,500–$5,000 by a resident, and $4,600–$6,000 by faculty, and that fees, which also depend on the number and type of implants, “can range from $1,000 to $25,000 depending upon your specific needs” (checked October 2026).

Those are one dental school’s fees for implants only — the surgery, the abutments and the prosthesis that sits on top are typically billed as separate stages. Implants can improve stability and help preserve jawbone, but they also carry surgical risk, healing time and a failure rate. If you are weighing them, price both routes fully before deciding.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most denture regret traces back to a handful of avoidable decisions.

Comparing a per-arch price to a full-mouth price

If one office quotes $1,200 and another quotes $2,400, confirm which arches each number covers before you conclude anything. Ask plainly: “Is this the upper only, the lower only, or both?”

Accepting a verbal estimate

Ask for a written, itemized treatment plan with procedure codes after your exam, and ask what is not included. Relines, adjustments, extractions, X-rays and a future repair are the usual omissions. Browse our other Denture Costs guides before your consultation so you know which line items to look for.

Budgeting only for day one

Dentures are an ongoing relationship, not a one-time purchase. Adjustments and relines are normal and recurring — $50 to $250 per arch at SIU’s posted 2025 rates — and American College of Prosthodontists guidance published by the ADA suggests an evaluation for replacement after five years. A slightly higher initial quote that includes a year of adjustments may cost less over time.

Not asking about a sliding scale or a dental school

People assume they will not qualify and never ask. The gap between an FQHC’s lowest sliding tier and a premium retail tier in the examples above is roughly $175 versus $2,391 per arch. One phone call to a nearby community health center is worth making before you sign anything.

Sources:

• SIU Center for Family Medicine — 2025 Dental Sliding Scale Fee (effective 3/1/25) — Source for the $1,500 per-arch self-pay complete and immediate denture fees, the five-tier sliding scale ($75 per arch at Slide 0), the $100 flat lab fee, and adjustment, reline and repair fees.
• Aspen Dental — Dentures Cost — Source for the chain’s advertised per-arch tiers ($499 Basic with a $49/year savings plan through Signature Elite averaging $1,841, range to $2,391) and its note that relines and extractions carry additional charges.
• ADA MouthHealthy — Dentures — Source for definitions of conventional, immediate and overdentures, including the several-month healing wait and the overdenture’s role in preserving jawbone.
• ADA Oral Health Topics — Dentures — Source for daily denture care guidance (soak and brush with non-abrasive cleanser, store in water, avoid hot water) and the five-year replacement evaluation guidance.
• NIDCR — Tooth Loss in Seniors — Source for the share of adults 65 and older with no remaining natural teeth, 27.2% in 1999–2004 to 15.2% in 2017–March 2020.
• University of Iowa College of Dentistry — Dental Implants — Source for single-implant fees by provider type at that school and its $1,000–$25,000 range, which depends on the number and type of implants.