Need cheap root canal in London!

Kaztem

Hi everyone!

I need a molar root canal. My dentist has quoted me a price of £650 and I need a crown at an additional cost of £550. That's an enormous £1200.

Does it really cost that much? Is it justified? I have been trying to find a chea private dentist to do this, but with no joy. Can anyone help? The google searches I have done throw up so many sites, and most of them don't put ANY prices up. Having called around to a number of them they are unprepared to quote over the phone.

Instead they ask to sell me a dental check up appointment, at an average cost of £60 following which the dentist can give me a price quote. Is this the normal industry practice? Something doesn't feel right...Help!

jugglebug

Hi
Root Canal treatments are not "off the shelf" products
every single one is different so you cannot expect someone to give you a quote without having examined you first.
They can be one of the most demanding tasks in dentistry. The endodontic instruments are also disposed of after use, they are not resterilised and used again they are put in the bin at significant expense.
Molar teeth are prone to fracture after a root treatment so protecting them via a crown is seen as necessary by many experts in the field. There are lots of different types so again I couldn't tell you which is the right one for you.
As a ballpark figure, £650 would get you a specialist RCT in my area (Midlands) So seeing as you are in London which is generally more expensive I don't think they are too far off.

brook2jack

Root treatment on a molar tooth can be quite demanding if the roots are quite small, curved etc. For the best chance of success an endodontic microscope etc will be needed. Also a fair amount of time , two hours on average.

Different surgeries in different parts of the country cost different amounts to run. A surgery in inner London will cost much more to run than one in the suburbs. Ditto a fancy bells and whistles practice more than a family practice.

Typically private molar endo costs 400 to 750 but I would be expecting a specialist for that sort of money.

Private crowns again vary also according to materials used and can vary from 300 to over 1000.

No dentist will quote you for work without seeing you as they don't know the
Complexity of the job or your general oral health until they see you.

It is not a good idea to farm out pieces of work to different dentists. If your current dentist is too. Expensive for you ask around for recommendations as it best to stick with one dentist to get the best out of your oral health.

cheshire_bird

Root canal treatment is generally major work. My daughter is a dental nurse,she says the costs can vary greatly due to the amount of work involved. She says that you have 3 options.....
pay the dentist at the quoted price, after all, he/she has seen whats involved. And yes, after major root canal you DO need a crown.
Or you could see if your dentist has a monthly dental payment plan that you could sign up to. This normally involves a fixed monthly amount and covers a set amount of check ups, maybe some hygienist treatment and all other necessary treatment.
Or you could just ask to have to whole thing removed. Cheaper yes, but this option would definitely hinder your ability to chew food due the gap left and may impact on surrounding teeth.
Her choice would be listen to your dentist. Take the advice they give...root canal work isn't decided on lightly. They only undertake that sort of action if it's the best way of maintaining your all round dental health.
Hope this helps.