How much does an inlay or onlay cost?

An inlay or onlay costs $635 to $1,665 per tooth in 2026. What changes your price is below.

Porcelain runs about $800 to $1,500, composite $500 to $1,200 and gold $1,200 to $2,500. Most PPO plans pay 50 to 80 percent, like a crown.

Estimate your inlay and onlay cost

Pick what you need and add your ZIP. The price updates as you go. Got a price already? Check it in the last step.

1Which one do you need?

2Insurance

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Is this price fair?

A fair price is $800 to $1,500.

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Low$1,150High

Your estimateUS average

$800to$1,500

Middle of the range: $1,150

$0$1,020$2,040

Normal range Middle

What you are paying for

PorcelainUS range for this job.$800 to $1,500

No insuranceInsurance.Base price

US averageLocal prices not added yet.US price

Middle of rangeHalfway between low and high.$1,150

How we calculate this

Prices are for the United States in 2026 from published cost guides, checked September 2026. This is an estimate, not a quote.

Middle $1,150$800 to $1,500

Cost by material

Average inlay or onlay	$635 to $1,665, about $975 (Pearl, May 2026).
Porcelain	$800 to $1,500.
Composite	$500 to $1,200.
Gold	$1,200 to $2,500.
Lifespan, porcelain	Often 15 to 20 years or more.

What pushes a quote up

Material	Gold costs most, composite least.
Size	More cusps covered cost more.
Lab or same day	Same day milling can cost a little more.
Provider	Cosmetic dentists charge more.
Location	Big metros run 30 to 60 percent higher.

Inlay or onlay cost by region

Lower cost states	$500 to $1,325. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia and most rural areas.
Average cost states	$635 to $1,665. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and most mid size cities.
Higher cost states	$825 to $2,200. California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington, plus big metros such as Chicago, Denver and Washington DC.

These rows are our estimate. We took the typical national range and adjusted it for local labor costs, which run about 20 percent lower in the cheapest states and about 30 percent higher in the dearest ones. Pearl reports major metros run 30 to 60 percent above smaller markets for this work.

Inlay, onlay, filling or crown

An inlay fills damage inside the chewing surface. An onlay also covers one or more of the tooth's points, called cusps, so it is sometimes called a partial crown. Pearl notes both are made in a lab or milled in the office, then bonded on, usually over two visits.

They make sense when a filling would be too big to hold, but a full crown would remove more healthy tooth than needed. Some older insurance plans pay only the filling rate for them, so ask for pre-authorization.

How to judge the quote in your hand

Ask inlay, onlay or crown and why.
Ask which material.
Ask lab or same day.
Ask about the warranty.
Get pre-authorization from your insurer.

Ways to pay less

Choose porcelain or composite over gold.
Use your PPO plan.
Check a dental school clinic.
Compare two quotes for big jobs.

Before you decide

This page covers prices only. It is not medical or dental advice. Talk to a licensed provider about what treatment you need, and ask for a written estimate and your insurer's pre-authorization before you start.

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A worked example: onlay or crown

An inlay or onlay is used when a tooth has too much damage for a filling but does not need a full crown.

Our average onlay is about $975. The Dental Savings Guide 2026 index puts a crown at about $1,300 on average. So an onlay can save about $325 on one tooth.

An onlay also keeps more of your natural tooth, because the dentist trims less away than for a crown.

Prices change by state

Pearl's May 2026 data shows the average in Ohio near $875 and in Iowa near $933. Big coastal cities are often higher.

Gold lasts the longest but costs the most. Porcelain matches your tooth color. Composite costs less but may not last as long.

Most offices need two visits unless they make the piece in the office the same day. Ask if a temporary is in the price.