How much is a dental cleaning in the Philippines?

Lebosada Dental Care in Davao City publishes ₱500 for a mild case, ₱600 moderate and ₱1,000 severe, checked September 2026. Published national ranges put a standard cleaning at ₱300 to ₱800 in budget clinics and ₱800 to ₱1,800 mid-range, with deep cleaning or scaling and root planing charged separately per quadrant. PhilHealth Konsulta now covers dental prophylaxis as a preventive service at accredited primary care facilities.

Does PhilHealth cover dental treatment?

Partly, and only since 28 December 2024. Preventive oral health services are part of the Konsulta primary care package: a mouth examination or oral screening, dental prophylaxis and fluoride varnish application, plus pit and fissure sealants, Class V restorations limited to two teeth a year, and emergency tooth extraction when necessary, all at accredited facilities. Root canals, crowns, dentures, braces and implants remain out of pocket. You must register with a Konsulta provider to use the benefit.

How much does a root canal cost in the Philippines?

It depends on the tooth. Lebosada Dental Care in Davao publishes ₱3,500 for an anterior tooth and ₱4,000 for a posterior one. Published national ranges are wider, at ₱6,000 to ₱15,000 for a single-canal front tooth and ₱10,000 to ₱30,000 or more for a molar with three or four canals. A crown is usually recommended afterwards and is charged on top, from about ₱8,000 for porcelain-fused-to-metal.

How much do braces cost in the Philippines?

Lebosada Dental Care publishes ₱45,000 for upper and lower metal braces and ₱70,000 for self-ligating brackets, with retainers at ₱2,500 to ₱3,000 per arch. Published national ranges put budget and mid-range metal braces at ₱30,000 to ₱60,000 and premium treatment above that. Orthodontics is not covered by PhilHealth and is excluded or tightly capped by most HMO plans, so it is almost always paid in instalments out of pocket.

Can I get free dental treatment in the Philippines?

Yes, in three places. Many city health offices and rural health units employ a dentist and provide extractions, fillings and advice free or for a token fee to residents. The DOH sends dental teams to remote barangays under PuroKalusugan, giving free check-ups, extractions and fluoride application. Public elementary schools run the DepEd Comprehensive Oral Health Program. Government hospitals also operate low-cost outpatient dental clinics.

How do I check if a dentist is licensed?

Ask for the dentist's full registered name and PRC licence number, then use the PRC verification of licence service online. A dentist must hold a valid certificate of registration and a current professional identification card under Republic Act 9484, and both should be displayed in the clinic. The Board of Dentistry also keeps a public roster of registered dentists, dental hygienists and dental technologists.

Is a dental specialist licensed separately by the PRC?

No. There is one PRC licence for dentistry. Under Section 6 of Republic Act 9484 the Board of Dentistry accredits the various specialties and dental societies, and the accreditation of specialties is one of the objectives of the Act. A title such as orthodontist, endodontist or oral surgeon rests on postgraduate training and that accreditation rather than on a second PRC licence, so ask what training and accreditation the title is based on.

What happens if someone practises dentistry without a licence?

Republic Act 9484 punishes practising dentistry, dental hygiene or dental technology without a certificate of registration and professional identification card with a fine of ₱200,000 to ₱500,000, imprisonment of not less than two years and one day and not more than five years, or both, at the court's discretion. The same penalty range applies to other offences listed in the Act's penal provision.

Guides

Dental Clinics in the Philippines: Prices of Common Treatments and How to Check a Dentist's PRC Licence

By Healthcare Philippines Published October 11, 2026 5 min read

Quick Answer: Dental care in the Philippines is mostly private and paid out of pocket. PhilHealth added preventive oral health services to its Konsulta package from 28 December 2024, covering screening, cleaning, fluoride varnish, sealants and emergency extraction. Everything else, from root canals at ₱3,500 upward to braces at ₱45,000, is a private fee. A dentist must hold a valid PRC certificate of registration and identification card, which you can verify online.

Dental care in the Philippines is overwhelmingly private and paid out of pocket. PhilHealth added preventive oral health services to its Konsulta primary care package with effect from 28 December 2024, covering an oral screening, cleaning, fluoride varnish, sealants, a limited number of fillings and emergency extractions (PhilHealth, January 2025). Everything beyond that, from a root canal to braces, is a private fee. At one Davao clinic that publishes its full price list, a simple extraction is ₱500 a tooth and upper and lower braces are ₱45,000 (Lebosada Dental Care, checked September 2026). This guide sets out published prices, what PhilHealth and HMOs do and do not pay for, the free public options, and how to verify a dentist with the Professional Regulation Commission. Start with clinics, health offices and rural health units on Healthcare Philippines.

What do common treatments cost in 2026?

Two clinics that publish their own figures are used below. Lebosada Dental Care in Davao City posts a fixed fee list. Desi Dental, a Metro Manila clinic, publishes national ranges that separate budget, mid-range and premium work. Both were checked in September 2026. Treat the ranges as a guide and ask for a written estimate, because the same procedure varies with the tooth, the material and the operator.

Treatment	Lebosada Dental Care, Davao (fixed fee)	Published national range
Consultation or oral examination	Not listed separately	₱300 to ₱700 with a general dentist; ₱1,000 to ₱2,500 at a specialist or premium clinic
Cleaning (oral prophylaxis)	₱500 mild, ₱600 moderate, ₱1,000 severe	₱300 to ₱800 budget; ₱800 to ₱1,800 mid-range
Filling	₱500 a tooth, composite	₱600 to ₱1,500 a surface for amalgam; ₱1,000 to ₱2,500 for composite
Simple extraction	₱500 a tooth	₱500 to ₱1,500 budget; ₱1,000 to ₱3,000 urban mid-range
Wisdom tooth (impaction)	₱2,000 upper, ₱6,000 lower	₱2,000 to ₱6,000 simple; ₱8,000 to ₱20,000 for bony impaction
Root canal	₱3,500 anterior, ₱4,000 posterior	₱6,000 to ₱15,000 front tooth; ₱10,000 to ₱30,000 molar
Crown	₱5,000 to ₱18,000 depending on material	₱8,000 to ₱20,000 porcelain-fused-to-metal; ₱15,000 to ₱45,000 zirconia
Braces	₱45,000 upper and lower; ₱70,000 self-ligating	₱30,000 to ₱60,000 budget and mid-range metal braces
Implant	₱60,000 a tooth	₱40,000 to ₱80,000 for Korean systems complete with abutment and crown

Sources: Lebosada Dental Care price list and Desi Dental 2026 cost guide, both checked in September 2026. Most clinics publish nothing at all, so phone ahead.

What does PhilHealth cover for dental?

Since 28 December 2024, preventive oral health services form part of the Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama, or Konsulta, primary care package. The mandatory services are a mouth examination or oral screening, dental prophylaxis and fluoride varnish application. Cover extends to pit and fissure sealants and Class V restorations, limited to two teeth a year, and to emergency tooth extraction when necessary, all in accredited facilities (PhilHealth announcement, 17 January 2025). To use it, register with an accredited Konsulta provider first, which is explained in the guide to PhilHealth YAKAP. Restorative, cosmetic, orthodontic and implant work stays outside the package (PhilHealth benefits).

HMO dental cover is separate and usually more generous on routine work, typically one or two cleanings a year, simple fillings, simple extractions and emergency relief of pain, with orthodontics and implants excluded or heavily capped. Check the plan schedule rather than assuming, and see how HMOs, PhilHealth and private insurance differ. The directory lists healthcare plans and medical coverage providers.

Where can you get free or subsidised dental care?

City health offices and rural health units. Many employ a dentist and offer extractions, fillings and oral health advice at no charge or for a token fee to residents. The DOH also brings dental teams to remote barangays under PuroKalusugan, providing free dental check-ups, tooth extractions, fluoride application and oral health education (DOH Ilocos press release, 1 March 2026). Find your nearest city or municipal health office and rural health unit, and see what a city health office does and what an RHU offers for free.
The DOH Oral Health Program. February is National Oral Health Month, observed under Proclamation 559 series of 2004, and the 2026 campaign is built around the new PhilHealth oral health benefit (DOH Health Facility Development Bureau, 2026).
The school dental programme. DepEd Order 33, s. 2019, the Comprehensive Oral Health Program of the Department of Education, consolidates the school-based work that runs from DepEd Order 73, s. 2007 on promoting oral health in public elementary schools through the Essential Health Care Program and Oplan Kalusugan sa DepEd.
Government hospitals. Larger public hospitals run outpatient dental clinics at low cost, and a Level 1 hospital licence already requires a dental clinic on site, as set out in the guide to hospital levels. Browse government hospitals.

How do you check a dentist’s PRC licence?

Under Republic Act 9484, the Philippine Dental Act of 2007, a dentist is a person holding a valid certificate of registration and professional identification card in dentistry. Practising without both, or without a special permit where one applies, carries a fine of ₱200,000 to ₱500,000, imprisonment of two years and one day to five years, or both. Section 32 requires the Board of Dentistry, with the accredited professional organisation, to keep a roster of every registered dentist, dental hygienist and dental technologist and to make it available to the public on request.

The practical check takes a minute. Ask for the dentist’s full registered name and PRC licence number, then search the PRC verification of licence service, which returns the registration status of a licensed professional. Look for the certificate of registration and the current professional identification card displayed in the clinic. On specialties, note that the Board of Dentistry is the body that accredits them: Section 6 of RA 9484 empowers the Board to accredit the various specialties and dental societies, and one of the objectives of the Act is the accreditation of the various specialties of dentistry. A title such as orthodontist or endodontist rests on that accreditation and on the practitioner’s postgraduate training, not on a separate PRC licence, so ask what training the claim is based on.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a dental cleaning in the Philippines?: Lebosada Dental Care in Davao City publishes ₱500 for a mild case, ₱600 moderate and ₱1,000 severe, checked September 2026. Published national ranges put a standard cleaning at ₱300 to ₱800 in budget clinics and ₱800 to ₱1,800 mid-range, with deep cleaning or scaling and root planing charged separately per quadrant. PhilHealth Konsulta now covers dental prophylaxis as a preventive service at accredited primary care facilities.
Does PhilHealth cover dental treatment?: Partly, and only since 28 December 2024. Preventive oral health services are part of the Konsulta primary care package: a mouth examination or oral screening, dental prophylaxis and fluoride varnish application, plus pit and fissure sealants, Class V restorations limited to two teeth a year, and emergency tooth extraction when necessary, all at accredited facilities. Root canals, crowns, dentures, braces and implants remain out of pocket. You must register with a Konsulta provider to use the benefit.
How much does a root canal cost in the Philippines?: It depends on the tooth. Lebosada Dental Care in Davao publishes ₱3,500 for an anterior tooth and ₱4,000 for a posterior one. Published national ranges are wider, at ₱6,000 to ₱15,000 for a single-canal front tooth and ₱10,000 to ₱30,000 or more for a molar with three or four canals. A crown is usually recommended afterwards and is charged on top, from about ₱8,000 for porcelain-fused-to-metal.
How much do braces cost in the Philippines?: Lebosada Dental Care publishes ₱45,000 for upper and lower metal braces and ₱70,000 for self-ligating brackets, with retainers at ₱2,500 to ₱3,000 per arch. Published national ranges put budget and mid-range metal braces at ₱30,000 to ₱60,000 and premium treatment above that. Orthodontics is not covered by PhilHealth and is excluded or tightly capped by most HMO plans, so it is almost always paid in instalments out of pocket.
Can I get free dental treatment in the Philippines?: Yes, in three places. Many city health offices and rural health units employ a dentist and provide extractions, fillings and advice free or for a token fee to residents. The DOH sends dental teams to remote barangays under PuroKalusugan, giving free check-ups, extractions and fluoride application. Public elementary schools run the DepEd Comprehensive Oral Health Program. Government hospitals also operate low-cost outpatient dental clinics.
How do I check if a dentist is licensed?: Ask for the dentist's full registered name and PRC licence number, then use the PRC verification of licence service online. A dentist must hold a valid certificate of registration and a current professional identification card under Republic Act 9484, and both should be displayed in the clinic. The Board of Dentistry also keeps a public roster of registered dentists, dental hygienists and dental technologists.
Is a dental specialist licensed separately by the PRC?: No. There is one PRC licence for dentistry. Under Section 6 of Republic Act 9484 the Board of Dentistry accredits the various specialties and dental societies, and the accreditation of specialties is one of the objectives of the Act. A title such as orthodontist, endodontist or oral surgeon rests on postgraduate training and that accreditation rather than on a second PRC licence, so ask what training and accreditation the title is based on.
What happens if someone practises dentistry without a licence?: Republic Act 9484 punishes practising dentistry, dental hygiene or dental technology without a certificate of registration and professional identification card with a fine of ₱200,000 to ₱500,000, imprisonment of not less than two years and one day and not more than five years, or both, at the court's discretion. The same penalty range applies to other offences listed in the Act's penal provision.