the Price of a Root Canal and Crown

Over the past decade I have had the misfortune of needing multiple root canals in my molars or back teeth, both on the top and bottom. The bad thing about your back molars is that they contain multiple roots, so you are charged per root when having a root canal procedure. The price of a root canal and crown for a back upper molar I paid recently was $1200.00. Like a lot of people, I don't have dental insurance, so I had to pay the full price. The price did include a total of four dental visits, although the price did not include the cost of prescription pain killers and antibiotics. The first visit, resulting from pain that brought me to the dentist, included x-rays of the tooth. The second visit was to drill out the offending roots; there were three of them in the single tooth. The next visit filled the root, which the dentist didn't do at the time he drilled it because it was still bleeding and possibly a bit infected, although I had taken and was continuing to take antibiotics. This was two weeks after the drilling, so I had a big hole in my back tooth for two weeks. The final visit was to place the crown over the tooth. I picked the least expensive metal, not porcelain crown, since it was a back tooth and by this time I was broke!

Besides the fact that I hate any dental procedure, all in all this was a good outcome. The dentist was as patient and gentle as he could be, and he did explain each procedure beforehand. He did discuss the price with me and gave me the option to pull the tooth if that was my choice.

My main advice would be to take care of your teeth to avoid this procedure! But if you have to have it done, be sure to discuss the price or you could end up with a root canal and crown that costs as much as a small car. It is an unpleasant procedure and time-consuming, so leave yourself time to take off from work to get it done. Make sure to take all the antibiotics, and do get the prescription for pain medication filled - don't try to tough it out. And have soft foods in your fridge and cupboard at home because you will need to eat them for awhile.