A single dental x-ray typically costs $35 without insurance, but the total depends on which type you need. A routine set of bitewing images runs $35 to $70, while a full mouth series averages around $197. Here’s what to expect for each type and how to reduce the bill.
Cost by Type of X-Ray
Dental offices use several types of x-rays, and each serves a different purpose at a different price point.
Bitewing x-rays are the most common. These are the small images your dentist takes during a routine checkup to look for cavities between your teeth. A single bitewing averages about $35, and most checkups include two to four of them. A standard set of four bitewings will cost roughly $70 to $140 without insurance.
Periapical x-rays focus on one or two specific teeth from crown to root. They’re used when your dentist suspects an infection, abscess, or problem below the gumline. The cost is similar to bitewings, averaging around $35 per image.
Panoramic x-rays capture your entire mouth in a single wide image, including your jaw, sinuses, and any unerupted teeth. These are commonly taken for orthodontic planning, wisdom tooth evaluation, or as a baseline for new patients. A panoramic x-ray averages about $130.
Full mouth series (FMX) is the most comprehensive option, combining 14 to 22 individual periapical and bitewing images to show every tooth and the surrounding bone. The statewide average for an FMX is roughly $197, based on recent patient billing data from 2023 to 2024.
What Insurance Typically Covers
Most dental insurance plans classify x-rays as preventive or diagnostic care and cover them at a high percentage, often 80% to 100%. But every plan has frequency limits that determine how often you can get each type covered. Bitewings are usually covered once or twice per year. A full mouth series or panoramic x-ray is typically covered once every two to five years.
Some plans require that the FMX and bitewings be taken and billed on separate days to qualify for coverage. If your dentist’s office takes both on the same visit, one set may not be reimbursed. It’s worth asking your insurance company about these rules before your appointment, since every carrier sets its own allowable amounts and coverage schedule.
If you have insurance, your out-of-pocket cost for routine bitewings at a checkup is often zero. For a panoramic or full mouth series, you may owe a copay of $20 to $50 depending on your plan’s reimbursement rate.
How to Pay Less Without Insurance
Dental school clinics offer some of the steepest discounts available. At these clinics, dental students perform the work under faculty supervision, and imaging costs a fraction of private practice prices. For example, one dental hygiene clinic in Chicago charges just $10 for a set of four bitewings, $20 for a full mouth series, and $20 for a panoramic x-ray. Seniors and students at the college pay even less, as low as $5 for bitewings and $10 for an FMX. These prices are roughly 80% to 90% below what a private office charges.
Other options that can bring costs down include dental discount plans (membership programs that offer reduced fees at participating offices), community health centers with sliding-scale pricing, and simply asking your dentist’s office about their cash-pay rate. Many offices discount their fees by 10% to 20% for patients who pay out of pocket at the time of service.
How Often You Actually Need Them
There’s no single rule for how often dental x-rays should be taken. Joint guidelines from the ADA and FDA emphasize that the decision depends on your individual risk for oral disease, not a fixed calendar. Your dentist considers factors like your history of cavities, gum disease, ongoing dental work, and symptoms like pain or swelling.
In practice, most adults with healthy teeth and no active problems get bitewing x-rays once a year or every other year. If you’re cavity-prone, have gum disease, or are undergoing treatment like implants or root canals, your dentist may recommend imaging more frequently. A full mouth series is typically taken when you’re a new patient or haven’t had one in several years, then updated every three to five years.
Radiation Exposure Is Minimal
A single digital dental x-ray exposes you to about 0.2 microsieverts of radiation. To put that in perspective, the average background radiation you absorb just from living on Earth is 8 to 10 microsieverts per day. That means a dental x-ray delivers roughly 2% of what you’d naturally absorb on any given day.
Digital x-ray technology, which most modern offices now use, cuts radiation doses by up to 90% compared to older film-based systems. Even a full mouth series of 18 to 20 digital images keeps total exposure well below what you’d get from a short airplane flight. For the vast majority of patients, including children and pregnant women when imaging is clinically necessary, the diagnostic benefit far outweighs the negligible radiation risk.