Root canal cost: front tooth, premolar or molar, and the crown that often follows
Choose the tooth, your state and your plan: a molar costs more than a front tooth because it has more canals to treat.
You pay for root canal, molar in New York
$457
$865 billed, $407 paid by the plan.
| Estimated dentist charge (full fee) | $1,756 |
| Estimated in-network price | $865 |
| Plan pays (50 % after deductible) | $407 |
| Deductible | $50 |
| New York Medicaid fee, same codes (2024) | $404 |
Estimate: New York Medicaid fee ÷ 26.1 % (Medicaid pay as a share of dentists' charges, ADA HPI 2024). Brought to September 2026 with the dental services price index (BLS). Not a quote.
| CDT code | Service | Count | Medicaid fee, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| D3330 | Endodontic therapy, molar | 1 | $404 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How prices are estimated · state Medicaid fee schedules, ADA ratios of 2024, BLS dental price index · not a quote
The price of a root canal depends first on the tooth. Endodontic treatment of a molar (code D3330) is estimated at a median $1,646 before insurance across the 25 states whose Medicaid schedules list it, a premolar (D3320) at $1,317 and a front tooth (D3310) at $1,084, all in September 2026 dollars. Network prices that a private plan allows are lower: $948 for the molar. The Covered California 2026 example plan places endodontics among major services and pays 50 % after its $50 deductible, so an in-network molar root canal at the median leaves the patient about $499. A back tooth treated this way often receives a crown afterwards, a separate bill that brings the two together to about $989 for the patient with the same plan, once its yearly maximum is counted.
Why the tooth sets the price
A root canal cleans out the pulp inside a tooth, shapes and disinfects the canals that run down its roots, and seals them. Front teeth usually have one canal, premolars one or two, molars three or more, often curved and narrow. The dental terminology reflects that with three codes, and offices price them in the same order. The table compares the three across the states priced on this site.
| Tooth | CDT code | Full fee, median | In network, median | Range of states | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front tooth | D3310 | $1,084 | $635 | $657 to $2,124 | 25 |
| Premolar | D3320 | $1,317 | $765 | $737 to $2,437 | 25 |
| Molar | D3330 | $1,646 | $948 | $949 to $3,262 | 25 |
The fee covers the treatment of the canals. X-rays taken during it are often included, but the exam that found the problem, a temporary filling and the final restoration are not. Retreating a tooth whose earlier root canal has failed uses separate codes, priced higher than a first treatment.
General dentist or specialist
Root canals are done by general dentists and by endodontists, the specialists of the inside of the tooth. Specialists often charge more, particularly for molars and retreatments. The estimate describes the average charge for the code in a state, which mixes both. When a general dentist refers a difficult molar, a specialist's quote above the estimate is common and not a sign of an error.
Root canal in your state
You pay for root canal, molar in New York
$457
| Estimated dentist charge (full fee) | $1,756 |
| Estimated in-network price | $865 |
| Plan pays (50 % after deductible) | $407 |
| Deductible | $50 |
The crown after a molar root canal
A back tooth that has had a root canal is often weakened, and dentists frequently cover it with a crown. That is a second bill under code D2740 or a related one, priced on the crown page at a median of $1,713 before insurance. Added to the molar root canal, the pair reaches about $3,359 at full fee. In network, with the example plan, the two together ask the plan for $939; its $1,500 yearly maximum covers it, and the patient pays $989. A buildup that rebuilds the core of the tooth before the crown may add a third line.
Whether a crown is needed, and when, is the dentist's call. Some plans pay the root canal and the crown in different classes, and the waiting period may apply to one and not the other: the benefit summary lists both.
Reading a root canal quote
A written estimate for endodontic work usually lists several lines, and each has its own code. The treatment of the canals is the main one. Around it may appear an emergency visit to relieve pain before the treatment, called palliative care, the X-rays taken before and after, a temporary filling between visits and, later, the buildup and crown. Each line can be compared with what a plan pays for that class and with the estimate for the state. When two offices quote the same tooth, laying their lines side by side usually shows that the main fee is close and that the difference sits in the extras, or in whether a specialist does the work.
The number of visits also varies. Many root canals are finished in one appointment, others in two, and the fee for the code normally covers the treatment whatever the number of visits. A retreatment of a tooth already treated years ago, or a surgical procedure at the tip of the root, is a different code with a higher price, and the quote should say so plainly. If the estimate on this page and a quote differ widely, the codes on the quote are the first thing to check.
How plans classify endodontics
Plans do not agree on where root canals belong. Some treat them as basic services with fillings, paid at a higher share; others, including the Covered California 2026 dental plan designs, put endodontics with major work. The difference is large on a molar: at the median network price, a plan paying 80 % instead of 50 % would leave the patient roughly $230 instead of $499. The estimator's "Plan pays" field lets you set your own plan's share.
Your share of a root canal quote
Your share of the bill
$500
| Deductible | $50 |
| Your coinsurance | $450 |
| Plan share lost to the maximum | $0 |
For a patient without a plan, the full fee is what the office bills, and some offices offer a lower price for payment at the time of service; the page on paying without insurance sets out the options and what each one costs.
The alternative to saving a tooth is usually removing it, and that has costs later if the gap is filled with a bridge or an implant. Comparing those bills is legitimate; choosing between treatments is a clinical decision made with the dentist after an exam.