root canal cost

fred252

hi folks,

went to my local dentist last week. i had decay beneath an old filling in a first molar (upper).

the initial consultation was €50 including an x-ray. during the second visit the dentist drilled down to evaluate how bad the damage was. root canal or extraction were the options - with probably 2 roots. this visit cost €200 including an additional x-ray on a separate lower tooth.

he quoted me about €1,000 to perform the root canal in 2 more visits and this is excluding the €250 already spent and the cost of a crown.

i believe my dentist is excellent and do value using someone from my locality. at the same time it seems very expensive compared with what friends of mine have paid for molar root canals in dublin (€400 - 600). should i be shopping around to get this done or is €1,000 a fair price for this job? (especially given the €250 already spent). i can't help but feel i'm paying over the odds...

narddog

You are paying for dental treatment in Ireland. You will pay over the odds. Had similar treatment done in Germany. Paid about 70% of what I would have been charged at home.

fred252

narddog wrote: »

You are paying for dental treatment in Ireland. You will pay over the odds. Had similar treatment done in Germany. Paid about 70% of what I would have been charged at home.

i meant over the odds by irish standards

FindingMimo

that's mental.. i'm getting one done at the moment for 350... 100 for the first visit, 150 for the second and 100 for the last. I'm getting it done in <snip>You should ring them but to save you a few quid ask your dentist for the x-rays and information to pass over to a dentist in smiles to save you from having them do it again.

Takestan

I got root canal treatment on one tooth and rest teeth clean on 3rd visit in keady co armagh for 370 stg lovely denist and done excellant job.

Zardoz

fred252 wrote: »

i had decay beneath an old filling in a first molar (upper).
he quoted me about €1,000 to perform the root canal in 2 more visits and this is excluding the €250 already spent and the cost of a crown.

The first upper molar is one of the most difficult teeth to root treat and is generally best left to an endodontist who specialises in root canals.
In fact most molars are best left to an endodontist.

1,000 for a root canal by a general dentist is excessive ,any endodontists I have rang up charge ~800 euro for a molar and thats using specialist microscopes for magnification .

Root Canals are not cheap procedures they are expensive ,excessively in my mind ,primarily because half of the fee goes to the Govt in tax .
You can get 20% back off your tax so net cost is ~640 euro.

fred252

Zardoz wrote: »

The first upper molar is one of the most difficult teeth to root treat and is generally best left to an endodontist who specialises in root canals.
In fact most molars are best left to an endodontist.

1,000 for a root canal by a general dentist is excessive ,any endodontists I have rang up charge ~800 euro for a molar and thats using specialist microscopes for magnification .

Root Canals are not cheap procedures they are expensive ,excessively in my mind ,primarily because half of the fee goes to the Govt in tax .
You can get 20% back off your tax so net cost is ~640 euro.

Thanks Zardoz

So my dentist really shouldn't be charging any more than €800 on top of the €250 I've already spent? How would he be justifying the additional €200 premium?

fred252

I called the nurse at my dentist regarding the fees - she said he was putting in a core aswell as the route canal to strengthen the tooth. Would this explain the additional cost?

Dianthus

Sounds like a case of Chinese whispers at this stage.
Just ring the dentists', ask to be emailed/posted out a full written estimate of your treatment plan (all treatment thusfar& all treatment proposed in the near future) with associated costings.
Once it's there in black and white, there should be no miscommunication or confusion. It will also allow you the opportunity to compare with other practices if needs be.