For any non-trivial work, dentists will happily look around in your mouth, and then give you an itemized quote for how much treatment will cost, before they sch

For any non-trivial work, dentists will happily look around in your mouth, and then give you an itemized quote for how much treatment will cost, before they schedule treatment for you. They aren't doctors, they know how much two pills of ibuprofen cost. You absolutely can comparison shop (Even if the dentist in question doesn't exactly know what % of the bill your insurer will reimburse, and the best they can do for that is to give a rough estimate.) It's probably not worth it for routine work if you're insured, and absolutely worth it for anything serious, or if you don't have insurance.