Root Canal Cost Breakdown in 2026

See the breakdown, component by component

The hub page answers how much by tooth type; this page opens the bill itself. Each chart row below is a single billable component with its own CDT code, drawn to a shared scale so you can see exactly which line drives your total. The crown — not the therapy — is usually the largest single item.

How the line items stack into your total

A "root canal" quote is really a small stack of separately coded procedures. Confusing the therapy fee for the whole bill is the single most common reason a patient is surprised at the desk. A complete molar treatment plan typically reads like this:

Steps 3 and 4 are not usually billed together — you get a core build-up, or a post and core when too little tooth remains. Stack the lines that apply to you and a molar all-in commonly lands between $2,000 and $4,500.

The root canal therapy line, by tooth type

The therapy itself is coded by which tooth, and the code is the cleanest predictor of the fee:

Front tooth — D3310

• Canals: typically one, straight and easy to reach.
• Therapy fee: about $620 – $1,100.
• Some intact front teeth need only a filling afterward, not a crown, which can drop the all-in total by over a thousand dollars.

Premolar (bicuspid) — D3320

• Canals: usually one or two.
• Therapy fee: about $720 – $1,300.

Molar — D3330

• Canals: three or four, often curved, at the back of the mouth.
• Therapy fee: about $890 – $1,500.
• More canals mean more chair time, which is why the molar line is the priciest therapy code and why molars almost always need the crown in step 5.

Why the build-up and post are separate lines

After the canals are cleaned and sealed with gutta-percha, the tooth is a hollow shell. The next line items rebuild it so a crown has something to grip:

• Core build-up (D2950, ~$200-$450) fills the hollowed crown of the tooth with a strong resin core. Most root-canalled teeth that are getting a crown need one; you cannot cement a crown onto an empty shell.
• Post & core (D2954, ~$300-$600) is used instead when the tooth is broken off near the gumline — a fiber or metal post is set into a canal to anchor the core. It is one or the other, rarely both.

These are easy to miss because they sit between the two numbers patients fixate on (the therapy and the crown), yet they are the line items that most often push a quote higher than expected.

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Retreatment: why the redo line costs more

When an earlier root canal fails, the fix is coded separately — D3346 (anterior), D3347 (premolar), D3348 (molar) — and each runs higher than its first-time equivalent, roughly $900-$2,000. The clinician has to reopen the tooth, remove the old gutta-percha and any existing post, and re-navigate canals that are harder to clean the second time. That extra complexity, often handled by an endodontist, is the reason the retreatment line carries a premium over the original therapy.

General dentist vs endodontist: the per-line premium

The same CDT codes are billed by both, but the rate differs. Endodontists — specialists with extra training and surgical microscopes — typically charge 15-50% more per line, with the widest gap on multi-canal molars and on retreatments. The premium buys a higher success rate on curved or calcified canals; for a straightforward single-canal front tooth, a general dentist usually delivers the same outcome on the lower end of each range.

Mapping each line to insurance

Unlike implants, the root canal stack is generally a covered benefit — but coverage is applied line by line, so it pays to read the codes off your plan:

• Therapy (D3310/D3320/D3330) — most plans pay 50%-80% as basic or major restorative care after the deductible.
• Core build-up / post (D2950/D2954) — usually reimbursed at the major-care rate, sometimes only when clinical criteria (destroyed tooth structure) are documented.
• Crown (D2740/D2750) — major care, commonly 50%.
• Annual maximum — the full stack can exceed a typical $1,000-$2,000 cap, so doing the therapy in one plan year and the crown in the next can tap two maximums.
• HSA/FSA — a medically necessary root canal is an IRS-eligible expense, so pre-tax dollars lower the real cost of every line by your tax rate.

Related root canal guides

Frequently asked questions