How Much Does a Root Canal Cost?

Updated on August 16, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 14 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

A root canal usually costs about $1,000 to $1,500 before insurance, with wider cases falling outside that band. Current Delta Dental 2026 cost data puts out-of-network charges at about $1,200 for a front tooth, $1,300 for a premolar, and $1,500 for a molar. Separate national root canal cost data from CareCredit reports a $1,165 average and a broader $500 to $1,800 range.

The final restoration is usually a separate charge. Delta Dental crown pricing puts an out-of-network permanent crown at $1,100 to $2,000, so a molar root canal plus crown can reach about $2,600 to $3,500 before any other separately billed work. That second bill is the price detail most likely to make a root canal quote look cheaper than the finished treatment.

Root canal pricing changes with the tooth, canal anatomy, provider, insurance network, and whether the tooth needs a filling, crown, post, retreatment, or other endodontic care. The treatment itself removes inflamed or infected pulp from inside the tooth, cleans and shapes the canals, then fills and seals them.

Article Highlights

• Current Delta Dental benchmarks put out-of-network root canal charges at about $1,200 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 1 full-time workweek, before taxes) for a front tooth, $1,300 for a premolar, and $1,500 for a molar.
• A permanent crown averages about $1,100 to $2,000 out of network and is billed separately from the root canal.
• A $1,500 molar root canal plus a $1,100 to $2,000 crown produces a worked treatment range of about $2,600 to $3,500.
• At $30 per hour, earning $2,600 to $3,500 takes about 86.7 to 116.7 hours before taxes.
• Dental insurance may cover 50% to 80% of a root canal after the deductible, but annual benefit maximums can cap what the plan pays.
• Extraction by itself can cost less than saving a tooth, but extraction plus replacement with a bridge or implant is a different and often more expensive comparison.

How Much Does a Root Canal Cost?

Service	Current price signal	What the number means
Front-tooth root canal	About $1,200 (about 1 full-time workweek at $30 per hour)	Delta Dental out-of-network benchmark
Premolar root canal	About $1,300	Delta Dental out-of-network benchmark
Molar root canal	About $1,500	Delta Dental out-of-network benchmark
Permanent dental crown	$1,100 to $2,000	Delta Dental out-of-network crown range
Molar root canal plus crown	About $2,600 to $3,500	Computed from the two current benchmarks above

These are U.S. price signals, not fixed fees. Delta says its root canal figures are based on 2025 internal data for out-of-network charges. The same source says the root canal fee includes the appointments and X-rays needed to complete the endodontic treatment, but it does not include the final restoration.

What You’re Actually Buying

Root canal treatment is an endodontic procedure for the pulp inside a tooth. The American Dental Association describes that the clinician removes inflamed or infected pulp, cleans and shapes the canal space, fills it with a biocompatible material, and seals the opening. A temporary filling may close the tooth until the permanent restoration is placed.

The root canal is not the crown. It is also not a deep gum cleaning. A crown or filling restores the tooth after the endodontic work. Scaling and root planing treats gum disease below the gumline, according to the American Dental Association’s MouthHealthy guidance. That makes deep cleaning a poor price substitute for root canal treatment when the problem is infected or inflamed pulp.

Back teeth have a different restoration pattern from front teeth. The AAE’s root canal guidance says molars and premolars tend to require crowns after treatment, while incisors and canines do not always require them.

The Crown and Insurance

The old way of pricing a root canal as one procedure misses the most expensive follow-up line item. Delta Dental states that its root canal fee does not include the final restoration. At minimum, the tooth needs a new filling, and a crown is frequently the preferred restoration.

That difference changes the household budget. A molar root canal at $1,500 (about 1.3 full-time workweeks at $30 per hour) plus a crown at $1,100 produces a $2,600 treatment total. At the high end of the crown range, the same arithmetic reaches $3,500. The American Dental Association has also cited a root canal and crown costing around $3,000 while discussing the limits of dental benefits in its 2026 insurance coverage report.

The crown is not the only possible extra. A tooth with too little remaining structure may need a post or another restorative step before the final crown. A previously treated tooth may need retreatment rather than a first root canal. Those items should appear on a written treatment plan rather than being assumed to be part of the initial endodontic fee.

Insurance can hit an annual maximum

Delta Dental says dental plans commonly cover 50% to 80% of a root canal after the deductible. In-network treatment can also reduce the fee because participating providers have negotiated rates. The patient’s share is based on the plan rules and the allowed fee, not simply a percentage of the dentist’s posted cash price.

The annual benefit cap can matter as much as the coverage percentage. The ADA notes that dental plans may carry annual maximums such as $1,500. Once the plan has paid its maximum, later covered care in that benefit year can fall fully to the patient.

Insurance example: suppose a root canal and crown total $3,000. A plan might appear generous on paper, but if previous dental work has left only $900 of annual benefits available, the maximum plan payment for the remaining year cannot exceed that $900, even before other plan rules are applied. The patient could still face at least $2,100 of the $3,000 bill. This is scenario math, not a promise of how any specific policy will adjudicate the claim.

Original Medicare is another trap for older patients. Medicare’s dental coverage page says beneficiaries pay all costs for most non-covered dental services. Limited dental services can be covered when they are directly linked to certain covered medical treatments, but a routine root canal should not be assumed to have Original Medicare coverage.

Molars and Retreatment

Molars sit at the high end because their internal anatomy is harder to treat. Delta Dental says molars usually have more canals and a higher degree of difficulty. That is why its current benchmark rises from $1,200 for a front tooth to $1,500 for a molar, a difference of $300, or 25%.

Provider type can change the quote too. An endodontist is a dental specialist focused on complex tooth-pulp problems and root canal treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic endodontist overview. A general dentist may perform a root canal or refer a difficult case. Price alone does not show whether two quotes cover the same clinical complexity.

Retreatment is another category. The AAE’s retreatment guidance says a second procedure is usually more complex because existing filling material and, in some cases, a crown or post may have to be removed. The AAE says retreatment can be expected to cost more than the original root canal, and some insurance policies limit repeat coverage on the same tooth during a stated period.

Root Canal vs Extraction

An extraction can be cheaper than a root canal when the comparison stops at removing the tooth. That is not the same comparison as saving a tooth versus removing and replacing it. The AAE’s root canal versus extraction guidance says replacement may involve an implant or bridge and extra visits after the tooth is removed.

This distinction matters for price reporting. A simple extraction may cost only a fraction of a root canal, but leaving a space, placing a bridge, using a removable partial denture, or placing an implant all create different future bills. The clinical choice also depends on whether the tooth can be restored.

Whether a tooth can be restored is a clinical decision, not a price calculation. A first root canal, retreatment, endodontic surgery, extraction, and replacement are different treatment paths, so a quote from one category should not be carried over to another.

Three Root Canal Cost Scenarios

Front tooth, no crown assumed: A patient receives an out-of-network benchmark quote of $1,200 for a front-tooth root canal. The AAE says front incisors and canines do not always require crowns, so the restoration plan may be less expensive than a molar case. The dentist still needs to specify the final filling or other restoration.

Molar with a crown: A molar root canal at $1,500 followed by a crown at $1,100 to $2,000 creates an all-in benchmark of $2,600 to $3,500. At $30 per hour, that equals about 10.8 to 14.6 forty-hour workdays before taxes.

Previously treated tooth: A tooth that already has a root filling and crown develops a new problem. The financial comparison is no longer the standard $1,200 to $1,500 first-treatment benchmark. Retreatment may require removal of restorative materials, more chair time, and a new restoration after the endodontic work.

Worked total example: take a $1,500 molar root canal and a $1,600 crown, which sits inside Delta Dental’s published crown range. The treatment total is $3,100. If an insurance plan pays 50% of both allowed charges and no deductible or annual maximum interferes, the simple arithmetic would leave $1,550 to the patient. Real claims can differ because negotiated fees, deductibles, exclusions, waiting periods, and annual maximums change the result.

Who This Cost Makes Sense For

Makes sense if:

• A dentist or endodontist has diagnosed a pulp problem and says the tooth is restorable.
• The quote identifies the tooth, root canal fee, final restoration, and insurance estimate separately.
• The treatment plan accounts for a crown or filling after the canal work rather than stopping at the first procedure.
• The comparison with extraction includes the cost of any planned replacement tooth.

Does not make sense if:

• A deep cleaning price is being compared with a root canal as though both treat the same condition.
• A low root canal quote is presented as the finished tooth cost when the crown is excluded.
• An extraction-only fee is compared with root canal plus crown while the later bridge or implant cost is omitted.
• A patient assumes an insurance percentage guarantees the same payment after deductibles and annual maximums.

What We Verified

• Checked: FAIR Health’s dental estimator lets consumers compare dental charges and allowed amounts by procedure and location, which is useful when a national benchmark does not match a local quote.
• Confirmed: the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research lists dental-school clinics and federally funded health centers as possible reduced-cost care routes for eligible patients.
• Cross-referenced: FAIR Health’s 2026 cost-tool update says consumers can view dental charge and allowed-amount estimates across percentiles, which helps explain why one national number cannot predict every local quote.

Related Dental Costs

A tooth that has not yet reached the pulp may involve a cavity filling rather than endodontic treatment. Once root canal therapy is completed, the restoration price can be checked against current dental crown costs.

If the tooth cannot be saved, the financial path shifts toward removal and replacement. Compare the root canal project with tooth extraction costs only when the extraction type is actually comparable, and remember that a missing tooth may later require a bridge, partial denture, or implant. Patients facing multiple missing teeth may also need to compare the cost of dentures.

Answers to Common Questions

How much is a root canal without insurance?

Current Delta Dental out-of-network benchmarks are about $1,200 for a front tooth, $1,300 for a premolar, and $1,500 for a molar. Local cash prices can differ.

How much is a root canal and crown together?

Using current Delta Dental benchmarks, a $1,500 molar root canal plus a $1,100 to $2,000 crown comes to about $2,600 to $3,500.

How much does insurance pay for a root canal?

Dental plans commonly cover 50% to 80% after the deductible, according to Delta Dental. Network rules, annual maximums, exclusions, and the remaining benefit balance can change the actual payment.

Is extraction cheaper than a root canal?

The extraction procedure by itself can cost less. The fairer long-run comparison includes any bridge, implant, or removable replacement planned after the tooth is removed.

Is deep cleaning an alternative to a root canal?

No as a general substitute. Scaling and root planing treats gum disease below the gumline, while root canal treatment treats inflamed or infected pulp inside the tooth. A dentist determines which condition is present.