Real Dental Costs

Quality 69 / 100needs work

14 tools, about 8,901 tokens to load them all · tool set c7c0aa2f162c · tools last changed 2026-10-13 · checked 2026-10-21 01:38 UTC

Tool changes

• 2026-10-13medicare_dental_checkchangeddescription
  before

  Use this when the user asks whether Medicare covers dental work (cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures, implants) or what Original Medicare does for teeth. Returns the statutory exclusion of Original Medicare (Social Security Act 1862(a)(12), 42 CFR 411.15(i)) and the narrow exceptions, each as a verbatim quote with its source URL and retrieval date from medicare.gov, the eCFR and the US Code. Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 and their dental limits plan by plan are not yet tracked; for a plan whose figures the user knows, it points to insurance_out_of_pocket. Phrasings: "will Medicare pay for my dentures", "is a tooth extraction covered by Part B", "¿Medicare cubre los implantes dentales?", "¿Medicare paga la limpieza dental?". Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research with a source URL and period on every figure; not a quote, not medical advice.

  after · 80% of words in common

  Use this when the user asks whether Medicare covers dental work (cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures, implants), what Original Medicare (Part A or Part B) does for teeth, or in which cases Medicare pays toward dental care. Returns the rule as verbatim legal text, each quote with its source URL and retrieval date: the statutory exclusion (Social Security Act 1862(a)(12)), the regulation (42 CFR 411.15(i)) and the medicare.gov coverage page with its narrow exceptions (dental care tied to a hospital admission or to certain covered medical treatments), plus the dated Medicare Advantage open enrollment period, so the answer can quote the rule itself. Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 and their dental limits plan by plan are not yet tracked; for a plan whose figures the user knows, it points to insurance_out_of_pocket. Phrasings: "will Medicare pay for my dentures", "is a tooth extraction covered by Part B", "¿Medicare cubre los implantes dentales?", "¿Medicare paga la limpieza dental?". Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research with a source URL and period on every figure; not a quote, not medical advice.

• 2026-10-13compare_stateschangeddescription
  before

  Use this when the user wants two to five US states side by side for one of the 12 procedures (exam and cleaning, filling, deep cleaning, extraction, root canal, crown, implant, All-on-4, dentures, braces, veneer, whitening), for instance before a move or before travelling for care. Returns, for each state, the cash band (low / average / high) with its basis badge (observed or estimated), its rank among the 51 state averages and its gap in percent to the national mean, plus the national band; cosmetic procedures carry no state variation. Phrasings: "line up implant costs in Texas, Florida and Arizona", "dentures in Ohio and Michigan side by side", "¿dónde sale más barato un implante, en Texas o en California?", "compara el costo de una corona en Nueva York y Nueva Jersey". Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research with a source URL and period on every figure; not a quote, not medical advice.

  after · 83% of words in common

  Use this when the user names two to five US states and asks what one of the 12 procedures (exam and cleaning, filling, deep cleaning, extraction, root canal, crown, implant, All-on-4, dentures, braces, veneer, whitening) costs in each, or in which of them it costs less, for instance before a move or before travelling for care. Returns, for each state, the cash band (low / average / high) in US dollars with its basis badge (observed or estimated), its rank among the 51 state averages and its gap in percent to the national mean, plus the national band. Every row comes from the same series with its source and period (for crowns, the ASQ360/CareCredit Average Procedural Cost Study 2023-2024 state averages), so the states are lined up on one basis; cosmetic procedures carry no state variation. Phrasings: "line up implant costs in Texas, Florida and Arizona", "dentures in Ohio and Michigan side by side", "¿dónde sale más barato un implante, en Texas o en California?", "compara el costo de una corona en Nueva York y Nueva Jersey". Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research with a source URL and period on every figure; not a quote, not medical advice.

• 2026-10-13low_cost_dental_optionschangeddescription
  before

  Use this when the user in a US state looks for low-cost or free dental care. Returns verified routes: dental schools (name, city, URL, check date), health centers and dental shortage-area (HPSA) designations, Mission of Mercy events and charity programs, with an optional county for the dental-desert atlas row. Dental-school clinic fees are not published by Real Dental Costs. Phrasings: "where can I get dental work on a tight budget in Columbus", "dental school clinics that see patients in Ohio", "¿dónde hay dentistas gratis en Illinois?", "clínicas dentales de bajo costo en Franklin County". Also use it when the user asks whether their county is a dental shortage area or where the community health centers are. Every figure carries its source URL and period; a missing cell returns status no_source_at_this_level with the next level up. Medicaid amounts are what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS), not what a patient is charged. No personal data (age, ZIP, name, insurer) is requested or stored. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research, not a quote, not medical, coding or insurance advice.

  after · 91% of words in common

  Use this when the user in a US state looks for low-cost or free dental care, or asks where to get dental work on a tight budget. Returns a list for that state where each route names its source and check date: dental schools with patient clinics (name, city, clinic URL, verified date), the count of HRSA dental shortage-area (HPSA) designations with the date of the HRSA file and the health-center finder link, Mission of Mercy events and charity programs (Dental Lifeline Network and named clinics), with an optional county for the dental-desert atlas row. Dental-school clinic fees are not published by Real Dental Costs. Phrasings: "where can I get dental work on a tight budget in Columbus", "dental school clinics that see patients in Ohio", "¿dónde hay dentistas gratis en Illinois?", "clínicas dentales de bajo costo en Franklin County". Also use it when the user asks whether their county is a dental shortage area or where the community health centers are. Every figure carries its source URL and period; a missing cell returns status no_source_at_this_level with the next level up. Medicaid amounts are what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS), not what a patient is charged. No personal data (age, ZIP, name, insurer) is requested or stored. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research, not a quote, not medical, coding or insurance advice.

• 2026-10-13medicaid_adult_dental_ruleschangeddescription
  before

  Use this when the user asks whether adult Medicaid covers dental care in a US state, what it covers, or whether it has a yearly dollar limit. Returns the state's adult Medicaid dental level with its sources: program summary, annual dollar cap (cap_kind annual_dollar_cap, no_dollar_cap, emergency_only, no_adult_benefit or not_verified, with a verbatim quote), orthodontics and implants policy (verified, silent or not_verified, with a quote), share of dentists billing Medicaid (T-MSIS 2023-2024) and the official fee schedule (URL, effective date, age scope). Phrasings: "does Medicaid cover adult dentures in Georgia", "is there a yearly dental limit on Medicaid in Massachusetts", "¿Medicaid cubre el dentista para adultos en Texas?", "límite anual dental de Medicaid en Nueva York". Every figure carries its source URL and period; a missing cell returns status no_source_at_this_level with the next level up. Medicaid amounts are what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS), not what a patient is charged. No personal data (age, ZIP, name, insurer) is requested or stored. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research, not a quote, not medical, coding or insurance advice.

  after · 86% of words in common

  Use this when the user asks whether adult Medicaid covers dental care in a US state, what it covers, whether it has a yearly dollar limit or how much that limit is. Returns the state's adult Medicaid dental level with its sources. For the annual dollar cap: the amount, the benefit period and a verbatim quote with the URL it was read from (CareQuest Institute coverage checker or state Medicaid documents) and its retrieval date, so the answer can cite a dated figure for that state (cap_kind annual_dollar_cap, no_dollar_cap, emergency_only, no_adult_benefit, or not_verified when no source confirms it). Also: program summary with its check date, orthodontics and implants policy (verified, silent or not_verified, with a quote), share of dentists billing Medicaid (T-MSIS 2023-2024) and the official fee schedule (URL, effective date, age scope). Phrasings: "does Medicaid cover adult dentures in Georgia", "is there a yearly dental limit on Medicaid in Massachusetts", "¿Medicaid cubre el dentista para adultos en Texas?", "límite anual dental de Medicaid en Nueva York". Every figure carries its source URL and period; a missing cell returns status no_source_at_this_level with the next level up. Medicaid amounts are what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS), not what a patient is charged. No personal data (age, ZIP, name, insurer) is requested or stored. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research, not a quote, not medical, coding or insurance advice.

• 2026-10-13benchmark_treatment_planchangeddescription, input schema
  before

  Use this when the user has a treatment plan or quote from a US dentist (CDT codes such as D2740, or procedure names, with quantities and quoted amounts) and wants to know where each line sits. For each line, returns the state cash band (observed or estimated badge) and where the quoted amount falls in it, what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS p25 / median / p75) and the official Medicaid fee schedule with its age scope (children_only or not_verified: context only), plus the state's adult Medicaid rule and numbered sources. quoted_usd is the line total as quoted. Phrasings: "my dentist wrote D2740 and D4341 x4 on the plan, is that in line for Arizona", "go through this dental estimate line by line", "¿es razonable este presupuesto dental en Nevada?", "revisa mi plan de tratamiento con códigos CDT". Every figure carries its source URL and period; a missing cell returns status no_source_at_this_level with the next level up. Medicaid amounts are what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS), not what a patient is charged. No personal data (age, ZIP, name, insurer) is requested or stored. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research, not a quote, not medical, coding or insurance advice.

  after · 72% of words in common

  Use this when the user has a treatment plan or quote from a US dentist (CDT codes such as D2740, or procedure names, with quantities and quoted amounts) and wants to know where each line sits. For each line, returns the state cash band (observed or estimated badge) and where the quoted amount falls in it, what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS p25 / median / p75) and the official Medicaid fee schedule with its age scope (children_only or not_verified: context only), plus the state's adult Medicaid rule and numbered sources. quoted_usd is the line total as quoted. Codes billed as parts of one job are summed into a bundle and compared with its band only when the bundle is complete: implant (D6010 + D6056 or D6057 + one crown on the implant: D6058-D6067, D6082-D6084, D6086-D6088, D6094 or D6097), full dentures (D5110 + D5120), veneer (D2962), All-on-4 per arch (D6114 or D6115); a partial bundle returns partial_quote with what the band includes, and a single arch or partial denture gets no verdict; a bridge on implants (D6068-D6079, D6098, D6099, D6120-D6123, D6194, D6195) or a temporary implant crown (D6085) returns no_band. Pass city for the published single-implant city average. Phrasings: "my dentist wrote D2740 and D4341 x4 on the plan, is that in line for Arizona", "go through this dental estimate line by line", "¿es razonable este presupuesto dental en Nevada?", "revisa mi plan de tratamiento con códigos CDT". Every figure carries its source URL and period; a missing cell returns status no_source_at_this_level with the next level up. Medicaid amounts are what Medicaid paid per claim line (T-MSIS), not what a patient is charged. No personal data (age, ZIP, name, insurer) is requested or stored. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research, not a quote, not medical, coding or insurance advice.

• 2026-10-13dental_cost_by_statechangeddescription, input schema
  before

  Use this when the user asks what a dental procedure costs in a given US state (51 incl. DC), or how a state sits next to the US average, for one of 12 procedures: exam and cleaning, filling, deep cleaning, extraction, root canal, crown, implant, All-on-4, dentures, braces, veneer, whitening. Returns the state cash band (low / average / high), the national band, the gap in percent and the state's Restorative Cost Index, each with its basis (observed or estimated). Phrasings: "how much is a crown in Ohio without insurance", "what do people in Florida pay for a root canal", "¿cuánto cuesta un implante dental en Texas?", "costo de una limpieza dental en California". When the user already has an amount quoted by their dentist and asks whether it is normal, use benchmark_treatment_plan instead: it places the quoted amount against this band line by line. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research with a source URL and period on every figure; not a quote, not medical advice.

  after · 79% of words in common

  Use this when the user asks what a dental procedure costs in a given US state (51 incl. DC), or how a state sits next to the US average, for one of 12 procedures: exam and cleaning, filling, deep cleaning, extraction, root canal, crown, implant, All-on-4, dentures, braces, veneer, whitening. Returns the state cash band (low / average / high) in US dollars, the national band, the gap in percent and the state's Restorative Cost Index. Each figure is labelled observed or estimated, with a note naming the study behind it and its period (state averages for crown, veneer, braces and dentures from the ASQ360/CareCredit Average Procedural Cost Study 2023-2024; implants from Real Dental Costs' own observed series, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20531728; other procedures scaled from the national figure and marked estimated), so the answer can say where the state number comes from and how old it is. Phrasings: "how much is a crown in Ohio without insurance", "what do people in Florida pay for a root canal", "¿cuánto cuesta un implante dental en Texas?", "costo de una limpieza dental en California". When the user already has an amount quoted by their dentist and asks whether it is normal, use benchmark_treatment_plan instead: it places the quoted amount against this band line by line. Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research with a source URL and period on every figure; not a quote, not medical advice.

Full history: list_changes · trend: quality JSON.

Checks run on what our credential-free, read-only probes observe; tools are never called and no code audit is performed. How it is computed.