A root canal saves an infected or badly decayed tooth by cleaning out the pulp inside. Which tooth you are treating matters most for the price, since molars have more canals and sit farther back than front teeth. Pick the tooth to price the procedure, then check what insurance covers. Most teeth also need a crown or filling afterward, and that cost lives on its own page.
Your estimate
Updated 2026-07-06$1,337 typical ($900 to $2,000)
Medium confidenceBased on CareCredit (molar avg $1,337, ASQ360 2024 study); myAquaDental 2025 ($1,000-$1,600); Vosita 2026 ($1,200-$2,000); Dental Depot 2025 ($1,000-$2,000) (2024 (CareCredit study); 2025-2026 (guide bands)). Updated 2026-07-06.
What is included
- Molar (back tooth)$1,337
With insurance
Monthly payment example
About $111/mo over 12 months or $56/mo over 24 months. Just an example, based on a 0% promo plan and the typical estimate. This is not an offer, and the real terms and approval depend on the lender.
This is an estimate, not a quote or a treatment offer, and not medical or financial advice. The figures are modeled from public sources and shown as ranges with a date and a confidence level. For a real number, ask your dentist for a written treatment plan and check coverage with your own plan.
Root canal costs
Root canal cost by tooth
A root canal usually runs about $984 for a front tooth or premolar and about $1,337 for a molar, before you add the crown or filling that normally comes after. Real quotes land anywhere from roughly $700 to $2,000 depending on the tooth. Tooth position is basically the whole story on price, because molars have three or four canals and sit way in the back where they're hardest to reach, so they cost the most. Pick your tooth in the calculator to see your range.
Why molars cost more
A root canal is priced by how much work is happening inside the tooth. A front tooth usually has one canal, a premolar one or two, and a molar three or four, and every one of them has to be cleaned, shaped, and sealed. Molars also take longer and get referred to an endodontist more often, and that specialist charges more than a general dentist. That's why the same procedure covers such a wide price range.
Endodontist vs general dentist pricing
Usually yes, for the same tooth. An endodontist is the root canal specialist, and their fees typically run higher than a general dentist's, which is part of why molar quotes are all over the place. Molars, retreatments, and teeth with curved or hard-to-find canals are exactly the cases that get sent to a specialist. For a simple front tooth, a general dentist is common and cheaper. And if a practice squeezes you in same-day for an infected tooth, that emergency visit can carry its own extra fee.
The crown is a separate cost
No, and this is the number-one budgeting mistake people make with root canals. The root canal saves the tooth, but then the tooth needs protection: sometimes a filling for a front tooth, and almost always a crown for a molar. A molar root canal plus a crown usually totals $2,600 or more together. Price the crown on its own page, or use our save vs replace tool to see the whole bundled cost at once.
Pulling the tooth instead: the real math
Pulling it is cheaper only on day one. An extraction by itself costs way less, but the empty gap lets your teeth drift and the jawbone shrink, and a proper replacement like an implant or a bridge costs more than saving the tooth would have. If you're stuck on that decision, our root canal vs extraction tool puts real numbers on both paths, including how long each one lasts.
Root canals with insurance
Most plans help here. They treat a root canal as basic or major work and cover a real chunk after the deductible, commonly 50 to 80 percent depending on the plan, up to the annual maximum. The crown that follows is covered on its own, usually at the major-work rate. Turn on insurance in the calculator to see both sides of the cost.
Common questions
How much is a root canal with insurance?
Plans usually pay 50 to 80 percent after the deductible, so your share of a $1,337 molar root canal comes to roughly $270 to $670, and the crown is covered separately on top of that.
How many visits does a root canal take?
Usually one or two visits for the root canal itself, plus a couple more for the crown. For simpler teeth, more dentists are wrapping the root canal up in a single visit now.
How long does a root canal tooth last?
A root canal plus a crown holds up 11 to 20 years in big population studies, and plenty of treated teeth last a lot longer than that with good care.