How Much Does a Dental Crown Cost? Frisco Prices by Material

Costs & Insurance

7 min read  •  By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MSD, MSOL  •  Updated October 2026

The number people get quoted for a crown is rarely the number they end up paying. Sometimes it’s lower, because insurance picks up more than expected. Sometimes it’s higher, because the tooth needed a build-up or a root canal first and nobody said that part out loud.

So this is the whole picture: what the crown itself costs, what can get added to it, what insurance tends to cover, and what your options are if you don’t have insurance at all. If you’re still deciding whether you need a crown in the first place, start with what a crown is and when you actually need one.

Crown prices by material

These are our current ranges at Tribute Family Dentistry, per tooth, before insurance.

Gold is the one that surprises people. It’s often the most durable option for a back molar, and the price has little to do with the dentistry. Most of the swing is the metal itself.

Why the range is so wide

Two crowns made of the same material can still land at different prices. The main reasons:

• The lab. A crown is a custom piece made by a dental lab, and labs vary a lot in price and in how carefully they work. Fit at the edge of the crown is where a cheap lab tends to show.
• The tooth. A front tooth that has to match its neighbor takes more shade work than a back molar nobody sees.
• How much tooth is left. A tooth that has broken down needs to be rebuilt before it can hold a crown, which is a separate charge.

What can get added to the bill

This is the part that turns a $1,200 quote into something larger. Ask about each one before you schedule, so nothing shows up as a surprise at the second visit.

• A build-up. If a large part of the tooth is missing, it gets rebuilt with filling material first so the crown has something solid to sit on. Many insurance plans list it as its own code.
• A root canal. If the nerve is inflamed or infected, a root canal comes first. Ours run $600 to $1,600 depending on the tooth, front teeth at the low end and molars at the top.
• X-rays and the exam, if you are a new patient and these were not already done.
• A night guard, if you grind. It is not part of the crown, but a porcelain crown in a mouth that grinds without protection tends to have a short life.

What insurance usually pays

Most PPO dental plans treat a crown as a major service. The usual pattern looks like this, though your own plan is what decides it:

• Coverage for major services is commonly around 50% after the deductible.
• Your annual maximum caps what the plan pays in a year. Many plans sit between $1,000 and $2,000, so one or two crowns can use most of it.
• Some plans have a waiting period for major work if you are newly enrolled.
• Many plans only pay to replace an existing crown after a set number of years, often five.

A rough example: on a $1,200 crown with 50% coverage and the deductible already met, the plan pays $600 and you pay $600. If the deductible has not been met yet, add it to your share. We verify your benefits and give you a written estimate before anything is scheduled. If you want to know exactly what your carrier will pay, we can send a pre-treatment estimate to them first.

We work with most PPO plans, including Delta Dental, Aetna, Cigna, MetLife, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare and Humana. If you have Delta Dental, the differences between its plan types are covered in what Delta Dental actually covers. We do not accept Medicaid or CHIP.

If you don’t have insurance

You have three practical options.

• Our Smile Savings Plan. $360 a year per adult, with 20% off most treatment, crowns included. It makes the most sense when you also have other care to do that year. If one crown is the only thing you need, do the math first.
• Monthly payments through CareCredit or Cherry, which spread the cost out. Read the promotional terms carefully, since interest rules differ between plans.
• Timing. If a tooth is cracked or already had a root canal, waiting usually costs more, not less. A crack that runs down the root turns a crown into an extraction. If it’s a large old filling that is holding up fine, there is often more room to plan.

The cheapest quote is not always the cheapest crown

A crown that fits poorly at the edge collects plaque, and decay starts at that margin. That is the most common reason a crowned tooth eventually needs work again. So when you compare quotes, compare the same things: the material, the lab, whether a build-up is included, and what happens if the crown has a problem in the first year.

It’s also fair to ask whether you need a crown at all. A small cavity in an otherwise solid tooth is a filling, not a crown. If a crown is being proposed for something that looks minor to you, ask to see the x-ray. A good office is happy to show you.

When a crown is the right call, you can see how we approach it, materials and the two-visit process, on our dental crowns page.

Common questions

How much does a dental crown cost without insurance?

In Frisco, about $900 to $2,500 per tooth. Zirconia and all-ceramic crowns run around $1,000 to $1,500 at our office, porcelain fused to metal $900 to $1,300, and gold $1,200 to $2,500.

How much does a crown cost with insurance?

With a typical PPO plan that covers major services at 50%, you pay about half after your deductible, up to your plan’s annual maximum. On a $1,200 crown that is roughly $600. We give you a written estimate before scheduling.

Why does my crown quote include a build-up?

When a lot of the tooth is missing, it has to be rebuilt first so the crown has a solid base. It is a separate procedure and often a separate insurance code.

Is a crown cheaper than an implant?

Usually, yes. Keeping your tooth with a crown is generally far less than replacing it. A single implant, including the surgeon’s placement and the crown, averages about $3,000 to $4,500 in the Frisco area.

Does insurance cover a crown after a root canal?

Most plans do, since a back tooth that had a root canal is brittle and usually needs a crown to avoid cracking. It is typically paid under major services.

How long does a crown last?

Commonly ten to fifteen years and often longer. Grinding, decay at the edge of the crown, and how much healthy tooth was left underneath decide where you land.

You may also be interested in these

• What is a dental crown, and when do you actually need one?
• Should a dentist pay for a failed root canal?
• Where your dental bill actually goes