A thin teal horizon line with a small coral mark.Florida Smile Works
Linen field with a teal arc and a coral line.

Costs

If you want to know what a dental procedure will cost, a public number is surprisingly hard to find. The American Dental Association says it can't quote fees, a national cost tool starts by asking where you get care, and Florida has rules for how a dentist's ad may state a fee.

Education, not a dental practice. Florida Smile Works does not examine, diagnose, or treat.

Short answer

Don't expect a public price list. The ADA says it "cannot quote fees for dental procedures and is forbidden by federal law to set or recommend fees," and it discontinued its Survey of Dental Fees in 2023. When you do see a fee in a Florida dentist's ad, the law says it must carry a disclaimer that it is a minimum fee only.

What a Florida reader should know

The ADA's full statement, which is national, not Florida law: "The ADA cannot quote fees for dental procedures and is forbidden by federal law to set or recommend fees. The Council on Dental Practice elected to discontinue the Survey of Dental Fees in 2023 and it has been removed for download, due to a change in law eliminating safe harbor disclosure. Posting such information, therefore, is now legally problematic."

FAIR Health's consumer dental page begins with a location step. It asks, "Where is your provider?" and wants a ZIP code or a city and state. Any estimate it gives depends on the location you enter yourself.

Florida law speaks to fees in ads. Section 466.019 of the Florida Statutes covers advertising by dentists, and its definition of an advertisement includes websites and social media. Under 466.019(3)(g), a licensed dentist's ad may not contain a statement or claim which "Contains fee information without a disclaimer that such is a minimum fee only."

The Board of Dentistry's rule 64B5-4.003 repeats that and adds a time condition:

The Board gives its reason: "An appropriate disclosure regarding advertised fees is necessary to protect the public since there is no uniform code available which would enable a fair and rational selection based upon advertised fees."

You may also run into rule chapter 64B5-15, titled "Fee Schedule." It sets what the Board charges dentists for things like license applications and renewals. Those are charges to dentists, not prices patients pay for care, and none of them is a cost of treatment.

What to do next

  1. Read the ADA's dental care market page for its fee statement in full.
  2. If you want a location-based estimate, open FAIR Health's dental page and enter your own ZIP code or city.
  3. When you see a fee in a Florida dentist's ad, look for the minimum-fee disclaimer and for the period the fee is in effect.
  4. Read section 466.019 and rule chapter 64B5-4 yourself.
  5. Ask a licensed dentist the questions below about any fee you've seen advertised.

Questions worth asking a licensed dentist

Sources