Root canal treatment generally receives its terrible reputation from what I consider overly ambitious doctors attempting to treat a "hot tooth" (one that is infected, painful, and resistant to getting numb). When the anesthetic doesn't work, as it often doesn't when dealing with and active infection, the result is a very painful treatment.
In my 40 years of practicing dentistry and performing thousands of root canal treatments, when confronted with infection, I nearly always script antibiotics to all but eliminate the infection. This all but assures you will experience little, if any, discomfort during the treatment.
The treatment itself is boring to sit through. We are simply cleansing the inside hollow portions of the tooth and then sealing it up to rid the body of the infection source, the tissues in the tooth. Depending upon the tooth, and it is up to the complexity of the canals in the tooth, this can often be completed in a single visit. Though more difficult cases may take a second visit.
After the root canal treatment, a filling will be required. In a great majority of cases a crown (cap) will be recommended as well. The cap helps avoid the tooth breaking in the future.
Cost of root canal care
The fee varies based on the number of canals (molars in the back may have 3-4 or more whereas front teeth only one) and the difficulty. Our fees range from $760 to $1,200. If you could "shop around", which we know is difficult, you'll find these fees are well below average.
Paying and getting an accurate fee
If you know you need root canal care, we are happy to do a consultation at no charge to assess the tooth, the need, and provide a fee.
We do what we can to make saving a tooth affordable. We realize it's still not inexpensive. We offer financing through SunBit. We do what we can to make it possible to afford. If you have PPO insurance, we will work with the carrier and simply have you take care of any deductible and co-pays.