Root Canal Cost UK: NHS Band 2, Private Fees and What Changes the Price

The root canal cost in the UK depends mainly on whether you are treated on the NHS or privately. On the NHS in England, root canal treatment falls into Band 2, which costs £76.60 from April 2026. Private fees are set by each practice and vary widely, with molars usually costing the most because they have more canals and take longer to treat.

This guide explains what you pay on the NHS, what drives private fees, why retreatment and the crown afterwards matter for the total, and how the numbers compare with taking the tooth out. If you want to understand the procedure itself, our page on root canal treatment explains how a tooth is cleaned, disinfected and sealed.

Prices are only one part of the decision. Whether a tooth can be saved, and how well, is something only a dentist can judge after an examination and X-rays.

How much is a root canal on the NHS?

NHS dental care in England is charged in bands, and a course of treatment costs one band charge regardless of how many appointments it takes. According to the NHS guide to dental charges, the current bands are:

Which? confirms these figures as the April 2026 charges. Two rules matter for root canal patients. First, if a course of treatment includes items from different bands, you pay only the highest band. Second, if you need further treatment within 2 months that falls in the same or a lower band, you pay nothing extra.

In practice, a root canal on its own costs £76.60. A root canal followed by a crown in the same course costs £332.10 in total, not £76.60 plus £332.10. Charges are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and some people qualify for free NHS dental treatment, so check the rules where you live.

Why is it hard to get a root canal on the NHS?

The NHS charge is low, but availability is the problem many patients face. Finding an NHS dentist accepting new adult patients can take time in some areas. The NHS also notes that more complex cases may be referred to another service, and that you may see a root canal specialist called an endodontist.

The NHS says treatment usually takes 2 or more appointments, each lasting 1 to 2 hours or sometimes longer, with a temporary filling between visits. If you have pain or swelling, an NHS urgent treatment appointment (£27.90) can relieve symptoms and drain an abscess while the full treatment is planned.

What does a private root canal cost, and why does it vary so much?

There is no national price list for private dentistry. Each practice sets its own fees, and Which? describes private root canal prices as ranging greatly. Its guidance is that cost depends on the size and position of the tooth and on how complex the case is, with back teeth tending to cost more.

The main factors that move a private quote up or down are:

• Tooth type: front teeth usually have the simplest canal anatomy, while molars have several canals that may be narrow or curved.
• Who treats you: a general dentist or a specialist endodontist, who usually charges more and often takes on the harder cases.
• Equipment: an operating microscope, electronic length measurement and rotary instruments add time and cost but help with difficult anatomy.
• First treatment or retreatment: redoing an old root filling is slower than treating a tooth for the first time.
• What is included: some quotes cover only the canal work, while others include X-rays, the temporary filling and the final restoration.

Always ask for an itemised written quote. Comparing two private prices is only meaningful if both cover the same steps.

Front tooth, premolar or molar: how does the tooth change the cost?

The table below shows why the same treatment can carry very different private fees. It describes typical anatomy and effort, not fixed prices, because individual teeth vary.

Molars are also the teeth that take the most chewing force. A molar that has lost much of its structure to decay and to the access cavity is more likely to crack, which is why the crown afterwards is part of the realistic cost.

Why the crown afterwards matters for both cost and survival

The NHS says a crown may be needed if the tooth was badly infected. This is not just an upsell. A summary review in Evidence-Based Dentistry found that a crown placed after root canal treatment was the strongest factor linked with tooth survival, followed by having neighbouring teeth on both sides, the tooth not supporting a bridge or denture, and the tooth not being a molar.

So when you compare quotes, add the crown to the root canal price for back teeth. On the NHS this pushes the course into Band 3. Privately, the crown is usually a separate and larger fee than the root canal itself. Our guide to what a dental crown is explains the materials and steps, and you can read about crown options on our treatment pages.

What about retreatment if a root canal fails?

Some root-treated teeth develop a new or persistent infection. The options are usually retreatment (removing the old filling and cleaning the canals again), surgery at the root tip, or extraction. Retreatment typically costs more than a first root canal because the old material has to be removed before the canals can be cleaned.

The evidence for retreatment is reassuring. A prospective study published in the International Endodontic Journal followed 858 retreated teeth and reported 4-year tooth survival of 95.3%, almost the same as the 95.4% seen after first-time treatment. The same study linked a permanent cast restoration, contacts on both sides and the tooth not being the last in the arch with better outcomes.

Root canal or extraction and implant: which costs less overall?

Taking the tooth out is the cheapest option on the day. On the NHS an extraction is also Band 2, so it costs the same £76.60 as a root canal. The real difference comes later, because a missing back tooth is usually replaced with an implant, a bridge or a denture.

The review data above show that most root-treated teeth survive for many years. For a tooth that can be restored, saving it is usually both the cheaper and the more conservative choice. When a tooth cannot be saved, an implant is often the best replacement, and our UK guide to dental implant costs explains how that bill is built up.

How does root canal cost compare in Turkey?

At Doctor Turka, root canal treatment starts from €105 per tooth. A crown, which many back teeth need afterwards, starts from €120 per tooth, and zirconia crowns from €150. If a tooth cannot be saved, a single implant starts from €235 per implant, with the abutment and crown priced separately. Our full price list for dental treatment in Turkey shows all starting prices, and our article on dental implant costs in Turkey for 2026 explains how implant quotes are put together.

These are starting prices. The final price depends on the tooth and your X-rays and appears in your written treatment plan after assessment. A single root canal is rarely a reason to travel on its own; it usually makes sense as part of a larger plan, such as crowns or implants, where you would be treated over several visits anyway. Follow-up checks are still important, so plan how you will see a dentist at home afterwards.

Having root canal treatment in Istanbul with Doctor Turka

Our clinic is in Ataköy, Bakırköy, in Istanbul. Before you travel, our dentists prepare a free treatment plan in writing, so you know which teeth need root canal treatment, crowns or other work and what it will cost. You can read how treatment with us works or get in touch via WhatsApp or our contact page.

Sources

• Understanding NHS dental charges (NHS)
• Root canal treatment (NHS)
• Private vs NHS dental charges (Which?)
• Tooth survival after root canal treatment (Evidence-Based Dentistry, 2011)
• A prospective study of the factors affecting outcomes of non-surgical root canal treatment: part 2: tooth survival (International Endodontic Journal, 2011)