Dental X-Ray Cost in 2026

Dental X-ray costs by type and CDT code (2026)

Every radiograph line on a quote or insurance EOB is billed under a specific ADA procedure code — not just a generic "x-ray" description. As of our August 2026 review of the top-ranking guides for this topic, no major cost guide lists these codes next to their prices, so patients are left matching a plain-English line item to whatever code the office actually billed. The ranges below are published ranges compiled from payer and provider sources (accessed Aug 2026), organized by the code you're most likely to see on your own paperwork.

These "D" codes come from the ADA's Current Dental Terminology (CDT) system — the same coding standard your insurer uses on your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to decide what's covered, at what percentage, and how often. Matching the code on your quote to the code on your EOB is what tells you whether a denial is a frequency-limit issue, a coverage-category issue, or something else worth a phone call.

Two of these codes are not independently sourced and are worth flagging rather than presenting as exact: published sources give bitewing pricing by set (2-4 images) without splitting D0272 from D0274, and periapical pricing by image without splitting the first image (D0220) from each additional one (D0230). The table above assigns D0272 and D0230 the lower end of those per-image and per-set bands — a reasonable split, not a separately sourced figure.

What each type of X-ray is for

Dental radiographs fall into two groups, and the CDT codes above map directly onto them.

Intraoral (the film or sensor sits inside your mouth):

• Bitewings (D0272/D0274) — a small sensor held between the upper and lower back teeth, capturing the crowns of two to four teeth per image. This is the image most commonly repeated at a routine recall visit, which is why it carries the shortest published frequency limit.
• Periapical (D0220/D0230) — one image per tooth, capturing the full root and surrounding bone rather than just the crown. Billed per tooth (D0220 for the first, D0230 for each additional one), so the total on a bill scales with how many teeth needed a closer look.
• Full-mouth series (D0210) — a combined set of bitewing and periapical images (14-20 total) covering every tooth in one visit, typically at a new-patient exam or a multi-year recall.

Extraoral (the machine stays outside your mouth):

• Panoramic (D0330) — a single rotating image of the entire upper and lower jaw, all teeth and the jaw joints, in one capture. Often the fastest way to screen a whole mouth without multiple intraoral images.
• Cephalometric (D0340) — a standardized side-profile image of the skull and jaw, used for orthodontic records rather than routine checkups.
• Cone beam CT (D0364-D0368) — a 3D scan, the most detailed and most expensive image type on this page, generally reserved for cases where a flat 2D image (panoramic or periapical) doesn't give enough information.

With vs without insurance: the real math

Published insurance rules set both a coverage percentage and a frequency limit — the two numbers that decide what you actually owe.

Copays on covered images generally fall in the $5-$50 range once the coverage percentage above is applied.

The math everyone skips: those percentages only apply if you have not already used your frequency allowance. Many PPO plans typically process a second bitewing set inside the same 12-18-month window, or a second full-mouth series or panoramic image inside the same 3-5-year window, as 100% your responsibility — not a lower copay, the full cash price in the first column. If you switched dentists mid-year, or your last office already billed a set of bitewings this benefit period, ask before assuming the "80% covered" language applies to your visit.

X-rays, exam and cleaning: the full visit bill

X-rays rarely arrive alone on a bill — they're bundled with the exam, and often the cleaning. Published visit-level pricing shows:

One real-world illustration of how much the type of image alone can move a bill: Humana's own pricing tool for an adult in Orlando, FL, shows $31 for a single image versus $160 for a complete series at the same office — roughly a 5x spread driven entirely by which code gets billed.

If the cleaning line is what you're really trying to budget for, our teeth cleaning cost guide breaks that portion out separately, including what happens when a routine cleaning turns into deep cleaning.

Panoramic and 3D imaging: when the bill jumps

The three extraoral codes carry the widest published ranges on this page, and the reasons differ by code.

Panoramic (D0330) runs $100-$343 (published average $200). It is often the first image taken for a new patient because one capture screens the whole mouth, which is also why it appears in the new-patient bundles above.

Cephalometric (D0340) runs $110-$274 (published average $141). It is billed almost exclusively as part of orthodontic records, so its coverage follows your orthodontic benefit rather than your preventive or basic-restorative benefit — worth confirming separately if you're pricing out orthodontic treatment.

Cone beam CT (D0364-D0368) runs $200-$879 (published average $466), the widest range of any code on this page. Coverage for 3D imaging varies widely by plan and by why it was taken — a CBCT ordered for an implant or surgical work plan is treated differently by different insurers than a routine diagnostic scan, so this is the one code worth confirming with your plan before assuming any reimbursement at all.

Your radiograph budget over 1 and 5 years

Published frequency rules translate directly into an annual number once you know your recall pattern: a 12-month or 6-month recall typically means one bitewing set a year (the second 6-month visit usually repeats the exam, not the films); a new-patient year adds a full-mouth series or panoramic image on top of that; and a high cavity-risk schedule can mean bitewings twice a year. Layer in a full-mouth series or panoramic image every 3-5 years, and a 5-year household radiograph budget is really "years of bitewings" plus "one larger image cycle" — not five identical annual bills.

Use the X-Ray Bill Decoder above to model your own recall profile: pick 12-month recall, 6-month recall, new-patient year or high-risk, and it converts the published per-code ranges into a 1-year and 5-year cash estimate, including the one full-mouth-series cycle a 5-year window typically includes.

How to pay less for dental X-rays

A handful of published, verifiable levers move the bill without changing what gets diagnosed:

• Dental schools and community/FQHC clinics. Supervised-student and sliding-scale billing typically prices well under the private-office ranges above, especially for a full-mouth series or panoramic image — expect a longer appointment in exchange.
• Ask for the fee schedule by CDT code before the visit. Imaging is one of the easiest line items to compare across offices precisely because the codes are standardized; a quote that won't break out D0210 vs D0330 vs a bitewing set is harder to compare.
• HSA/FSA dollars. Dental X-rays qualify as a dental expense under most HSA and FSA plans, so paying with pre-tax funds discounts the published cash price by your marginal tax rate.
• Digital vs. film capture. Some offices price digital sensors and traditional film differently on the same CDT code; ask which capture method is billed on your line item, not just which code.
• Declining a radiograph is a rights-and-cost question, not a clinical one this guide can answer. You can generally decline, but whether the visit can proceed without an image the dentist considers necessary is the dentist's clinical call, not a pricing decision — ask what declining means for the appointment and the bill before you're in the chair.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions