Is a root canal cheaper than pulling the tooth?

Not a question we will answer with a number, because the honest comparison has to include what replaces the pulled tooth. The AAE points out that extraction can take longer overall because of the follow-up appointments a denture, bridge or implant requires. Ask your dentist to price both paths in full, including the replacement.

Does a root canal cost more if an endodontist does it?

Delta Dental names who performs the procedure as one of the factors fees vary on. Ask both the general dentist and the specialist for a written estimate on the same tooth.

Why is a molar root canal the most expensive?

Delta Dental publishes about $1,500 for a molar against about $1,200 for a front tooth, and says front teeth take less time because access is easier and they have fewer roots.

How much does a root canal cost?

Published August 19, 2026

A root canal costs about $1,200 for a front tooth and about $1,500 for a molar, according to Delta Dental's published out-of-network figures.

Those are Delta Dental's own published out-of-network figures — what a dentist charges before any plan discount is applied. In-network fees are lower, because they are the discounted rates the insurer has negotiated.

Source: Delta Dental

This page is general information, not dental advice. Every mouth is different, and the only person who can tell you what your tooth needs is a dentist who has looked at it and taken an X-ray.

Root canal cost by tooth

Tooth	Published out-of-network fee	Your share if a plan covers 50–80%
Front tooth	about $1,200	about $240 – $600
Premolar	about $1,300	about $260 – $650
Molar	about $1,500	about $300 – $750

Left two columns are Delta Dental's published figures. The right column is OUR ARITHMETIC on Delta Dental's own stated coverage band of 50% to 80% after the deductible — it is not a quote from anyone, and your plan is the only thing that decides your number.

Source: Delta Dental

Delta Dental gives the coverage band directly: it is common for dental insurance plans to cover 50% to 80% of the cost of a root canal after the deductible has been met. The deductible comes first, so a plan that covers 80% does not mean you pay 20% of the whole thing on day one.

Source: Delta Dental

How much does a root canal cost with insurance?

Whatever your plan's percentage is, applied after your deductible, and only up to your annual maximum. Those three numbers are on your plan documents and they are the only ones that matter — a national average cannot see any of them. Call the number on your card and ask for the estimate on the specific tooth and the specific dentist before you book.

The three questions to ask on that call

What is my remaining deductible this plan year?
What percentage does the plan pay on a root canal for this tooth, in-network and out-of-network?
How much of my annual maximum is left — and does the crown come out of the same maximum?

How much does a root canal cost without insurance?

Without a plan you are looking at the published out-of-network fee, which is the left-hand column above: roughly $1,200 for a front tooth, $1,300 for a premolar and $1,500 for a molar per Delta Dental. Delta Dental also notes that fees vary by which tooth is affected, by geography and by who performs the procedure.

Source: Delta Dental

The cost that is not in any of these numbers

The root canal fee does not include the crown. That is a separate procedure with a separate price.

Delta Dental states it outright: the dentist fee includes all appointments and X-rays necessary to complete the root canal treatment, but these fees do not include the final restoration of the tooth. The ADA describes that restoration as a later step where the temporary filling is replaced with a regular filling or a crown, sometimes with a post to support it. When you ask a practice for a price, ask for the root canal AND the restoration in the same sentence, or you will be quoted half the job.

Sources: Delta Dental, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy)

Why one practice quotes more than another

Which tooth. A molar is the most expensive of the three in Delta Dental's published figures.
In-network or out. Delta Dental's in-network fees are discounted rates it has negotiated; the figures above are the undiscounted ones.
Where you are. Delta Dental names geographic location as one of the things fees vary on.
Who does it. Delta Dental names who performs the procedure as another.

If you are also trying to plan the day around it, we wrote the timing out separately: how long a root canal takes, and how many visits.

Prices move by practice, so the practice matters. These are the dentists AI assistants name when Floridians ask — measured, and unbuyable.

Not your city? See every metro we measure.

Questions people ask next

Is a root canal cheaper than pulling the tooth?: Not a question we will answer with a number, because the honest comparison has to include what replaces the pulled tooth. The AAE points out that extraction can take longer overall because of the follow-up appointments a denture, bridge or implant requires. Ask your dentist to price both paths in full, including the replacement.
Does a root canal cost more if an endodontist does it?: Delta Dental names who performs the procedure as one of the factors fees vary on. Ask both the general dentist and the specialist for a written estimate on the same tooth.
Why is a molar root canal the most expensive?: Delta Dental publishes about $1,500 for a molar against about $1,200 for a front tooth, and says front teeth take less time because access is easier and they have fewer roots.

Written for patients by Most Recommended Dentists, which measures which dentists AI assistants actually recommend in 20 U.S. metros. Nobody can pay to be on those lists. How we measure.