A root canal removes the infected nerve inside a tooth, cleans and seals the canals, and lets you keep the tooth. The bad reputation is fifty years out of date. With modern anesthetic and rotary tools, the appointment is calm and the relief afterward is immediate. The pain you had before, from the infected nerve, is the part that hurts.
Signs you may need one
- Throbbing toothache, especially at night or when lying down.
- Pain that lingers for minutes after something hot or cold.
- A pimple-like bump on the gum, or a bad taste.
- A tooth that turned gray after an injury.
- Swelling or tenderness in the jaw near one tooth.
What to expect
- X-ray and numbing. The tooth is tested and fully numbed. If there is a lot of infection, antibiotics may come first.
- Cleaning the canals. A small opening is made, the nerve tissue removed, the canals shaped and disinfected. Sixty to ninety minutes.
- Sealing and a crown. The canals are filled and sealed. Back teeth get a crown within a few weeks so they do not crack.
What it costs in Denison
A root canal runs $800 to $1,500 in Denison. Front teeth are at the low end, molars at the high end. The crown afterward is another $900 to $1,800. Insurance usually covers 50 to 80% of a root canal after the deductible. Compare that to an extraction plus an implant at $3,500 and up, and saving the tooth is almost always the better deal.
Ready to book?
Request an appointment and a Denison office will call you back, usually the same business day.
Common questions
Is a root canal painful?
Not with today anesthetic. Most patients say it felt like a filling. Mild soreness for two or three days afterward is normal and ibuprofen handles it.
Root canal or pull the tooth?
Keep the tooth when you can. A root canal and crown costs less than an extraction and implant, keeps your bite the same and keeps the bone in your jaw.
How many visits?
Usually one for the root canal itself, two if there is heavy infection. Then one or two more for the crown.
Other dental services in Denison
Emergency Dentist
Toothache, broken tooth, knocked-out tooth or swelling. Same-day help in Denison.
$150 – $400 exam and relief visitCleanings & Exams
Routine checkups, cleanings and x-rays that keep small problems from becoming big ones.
$120 – $250 per visitDental Implants
A permanent replacement for a missing tooth that looks, feels and chews like your own.
$3,000 – $5,500 per toothCrowns & Veneers
Repair a cracked or worn tooth, or reshape your smile with porcelain.
$900 – $2,000 per toothTeeth Whitening
Professional in-office or take-home whitening that is safer and stronger than store kits.
$250 – $650Invisalign & Clear Aligners
Straighten teeth without metal braces. Removable, nearly invisible, adult friendly.
$3,000 – $6,500