When facing those trips to the dentist you may face a fear, especially if there is the potential for the dreaded root canal. It is easy to believe you are paying for pain and a treatment that is not worth its actual value.
What Does a Root Canal Cost?
It is hard to say what the standard cost of a root canal might be, as it can be different from one dental office to the next, while it also may be more expensive if it has to be done in an emergency situation or at a walk-in location. With over 15 million root canals performed annually, there may not be the need for these to be extremely expensive, but they definitely can be at times.
Research has shown that the average cost of a root canal ranges anywhere from 900 to 1300 dollars, with the associated dental crown costing between 500 and 3000 dollars. This is where it may be associated with the dental insurance that you may have, or with the dentist you see for the procedure.
Other Procedures Compared to a Root Canal
Considering the fact that a root canal cost may be well above the budget for most people, there are also a number of procedures that work with tooth extraction to make things a little more affordable, or at least easier. Some of these include dental implants, tooth fillings, bridges, and more. The cost for these can vary, similar to root canals. Luckily, the success rate of dental implants is almost 100%, so if you can find the covered dentist and an affordable price, then there is much to gain from this decision.
Price of Dental Procedures
Now, the prices of these different procedures are important to evaluate before making a quick decision upon the alternative. While dental implants are much more affordable than they were a couple of decades ago, there is still the potential of them not being covered by dental insurance, which could leave you with an excessive expense in the thousands. Sometimes the cost of dental implants can be as much as ten thousand per tooth, so it is important to study the full details of your dental insurance as well as the procedure before making that decision.
Therefore, it may be best to make sure that those regular dental visits are maintained in order to keep healthy teeth and gums without the need for emergency dental procedures. Considering root canal cost, as well as that of other procedures, keeping up with those six-month dental visits is a cost-saving and healthy idea combined. While it has been reported that on average, Americans only visit the dentist about every three years, leaving the potential for poor dental health.
