Root Canal Cost in Ontario (2026): Front Tooth, Molar, and the Crown

How much does a root canal cost in Ontario?

The price depends mostly on which tooth is infected. In 2026, Ontario general dentists typically charge $700 to $1,100 for a root canal on a front tooth, $800 to $1,400 for a premolar, and $1,100 to $2,100 for a molar. Those figures cover the root canal itself. The crown that usually follows is billed separately, and it often costs as much as the root canal did.

The reason for the spread is anatomy. Root canal fees are priced per canal, and Ontario dentists set their fees using the Ontario Dental Association's suggested fee guide as a benchmark. A front tooth has one canal. A premolar has one or two. A molar usually has three and sometimes four. More canals means more time in the chair and a higher fee code, which is why the same procedure can cost twice as much three teeth further back.

Other line items can show up on the bill. You may need an exam and x-rays to diagnose the tooth, a core build-up to rebuild enough structure to hold a crown, and possibly an emergency visit fee if pain brought you in first. None of these are padding. They are separate procedures with their own codes. Ask for a written treatment plan that lists each code and fee, so the number you budget for is the number you pay.

What will you actually pay? Prices by tooth

The table below reflects typical 2026 pricing published by Ontario dental practices. Every office sets its own fees, and most stay near the ODA suggested fee guide, so the ranges are fairly consistent across the province. Your written quote is the real number; use these ranges to judge whether it sits in the normal zone.

Plan around the bottom row, not the first one. A molar root canal quoted at $1,300 sounds manageable until the crown visit brings the total to $2,900. When you call for pricing, ask for the cost to fully restore the tooth, not just the root canal fee.

Why does the crown almost double the bill?

A root canal removes the infected or dying pulp from inside the tooth, then cleans, fills, and seals the canals. The tooth stays in your mouth and keeps working, but it is more brittle than it was. Back teeth take the full force of chewing, which is why molars and premolars almost always need a crown afterward to stop the tooth from cracking.

In Ontario, that crown runs $1,200 to $2,000. The 2026 ODA suggested fee for a porcelain crown is $1,167, and the dental laboratory's charge for fabricating it comes on top, typically a few hundred dollars. Skipping the crown to save money is a false economy on a molar. A cracked root-canalled tooth usually cannot be repaired and ends up extracted, and then you are paying for the root canal, the extraction, and a replacement tooth.

Front teeth are the exception. An incisor that is still mostly intact can often be sealed with a regular filling instead of a crown. That is why a front-tooth root canal can sometimes be finished for under $1,200 all-in, while a molar rarely can.

Does an endodontist charge more than a general dentist?

Yes. Ontario clinic fee pages put specialist fees roughly 20 to 40 per cent above general dentist rates. A molar that costs $1,100 to $2,100 with a general dentist commonly runs $1,300 to $2,500 with an endodontist. Front teeth show the same pattern at lower numbers, roughly $800 to $1,500 at a specialist.

An endodontist is a dentist with advanced training in root canal treatment who does this procedure all day, usually with an operating microscope. General dentists handle most straightforward root canals well. Referral to a specialist makes sense for curved or calcified canals, a root canal that failed and needs retreatment, an infection that has not settled after treatment, or a tooth with unusual anatomy. If your dentist refers you, it is because the odds of saving the tooth are better in specialist hands, and a saved tooth is cheaper than a lost one.

One insurance wrinkle worth checking: some plans reimburse specialist work at general practitioner fee guide rates. If that is your plan, the specialist's premium comes out of your pocket. Call your insurer with the procedure codes before the appointment and ask what they will actually pay.

Is pulling the tooth cheaper than a root canal?

On the day, yes. A simple extraction in Ontario runs roughly $200 to $450. That is the cheapest number in this article, and it is also the most misleading one, because it leaves a gap where a working tooth used to be.

Filling the gap has its own price list. A single dental implant in Ontario runs about $4,000 to $6,000 all-in. A three-unit bridge runs $2,500 to $4,500 and requires grinding down the two neighbouring teeth to serve as anchors. Leaving the gap costs nothing upfront, but over the years the neighbouring teeth drift and the opposing tooth grows down into the space, which changes your bite and can create new problems to fix.

Now compare totals. Extraction plus an implant lands around $4,200 to $6,450. A root canal plus crown lands at $2,000 to $4,100 and keeps your own root in the bone. When the tooth can be saved, saving it is usually the cheaper path as well as the better one. Extraction wins when it genuinely has to: a crack running below the gum line, too little tooth structure left to restore, or a retreatment that has already failed.

Will insurance or the CDCP pay for it?

OHIP will not. Ontario's provincial health plan does not cover dental work done in a dental office, root canals included; it pays only for certain dental surgery performed in hospital. Coverage comes from a workplace or private plan, or from the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Private plans classify root canals as either basic services, often reimbursed around 80 per cent, or major services, reimbursed at 50 to 70 per cent. Crowns almost always sit in the major category at about 50 per cent. Reimbursement is calculated against fee guide rates, so if your dentist charges above the guide, that gap is yours too. Watch your annual maximum as well: most plans cap out at $1,000 to $2,500 per year, so a $2,900 molar-plus-crown bill can blow through a $1,500 maximum with months of the year left.

The CDCP covers root canal treatment for eligible residents: adjusted family net income under $90,000 and no access to private dental insurance. Standard root canals on front teeth, premolars, and first and second molars do not need preauthorization. What you pay depends on income:

CDCP co-payment tiers by adjusted family net income:

• Under $70,000: the plan pays 100 per cent of CDCP fees
• $70,000 to $79,999: you pay a 40 per cent co-payment on CDCP fees
• $80,000 to $89,999: you pay 60 per cent, and the plan covers the remaining 40 per cent

You're in pain right now. What does waiting cost?

One catch on the CDCP applies at every income level. CDCP fees are set below what most Ontario dentists actually charge, and offices may bill you the difference on top of any co-payment. Before booking, ask the office for an estimate showing the CDCP portion and your portion, so there is no surprise at checkout.

As for the pain itself: throbbing at night, pain when you bite down, or a pimple-like bump on the gum usually means the pulp is dying or an abscess has formed. This does not settle on its own. Antibiotics can knock down a flare-up, but the source of the infection sits inside the tooth where they cannot clear it. Only a root canal or an extraction removes it.

Waiting also moves you down the price list in the wrong direction. A molar that is treatable today for $1,500 can crack while you wait, or the infection can destroy enough bone that the tooth is no longer worth saving. At that point you are shopping for an extraction and an implant instead, at roughly double the cost. An emergency exam with an x-ray costs a small fraction of any treatment and tells you exactly what you are dealing with.

Two situations skip the dental office entirely: facial swelling with fever, or any trouble swallowing or breathing. Those belong in an emergency department the same day. For everything short of that, call a dental office, say you are in pain, and ask for the next emergency slot. Many offices hold same-day time for exactly this call.

Common questions