Duration of a root canal treatment
The duration of a root canal treatment depends on whether it is an initial treatment or a revision (= removal of an already existing root canal filling), which technique and instruments are used and how badly the root canals are destroyed or inflamed. In general, a root canal treatment takes at least 2 appointments. First, the dentist removes the caries and drills to the depth of the pulp, which is the entrance to the root canals.
Then the root canals are prepared with manual or electric files, i.e. taught and cleaned. Here the duration of the treatment also depends on the number of root canals. Finally, the root canals are filled with a rubber-like material and then a filling or crown is applied.
Costs of root canal treatment
The cost of a root canal treatment can vary. They depend on the patient’s situation and the dentist. Basic care is covered by health insurance, but some conditions must be met.
Patients who have private health insurance usually find it a little easier to get good and sufficient care for a tooth and possibly also to receive treatments that go beyond standard care. Whether the costs for a root canal treatment are covered by the health insurance company must be discussed individually with the patient and the situation. In general, the health insurance company will only cover the costs if the treatment ensures that the tooth can be saved.
Thus, the condition is that a tight filling can be made up to the tip. This is not always easy, because especially with molars the root canals are strongly curved at the end, which makes complete filling more difficult. There are other restrictions for molars, at least one of which must be fulfilled.
The first restriction is that the affected tooth must be in a row of molars that is healthy except for the tooth itself. The second restriction is that if the affected tooth already has a denture, it will be preserved by the treatment. The third and last exception is that the treatment avoids a free-end situation on the affected tooth, so that this tooth is the last tooth in the row.
If a molar tooth cannot sufficiently fulfil these conditions, only the costs for an extraction are covered by the health insurance.If you still want to undergo root canal treatment, you have to pay for it yourself. An average of 1000 Euros per tooth is then due for one treatment. If the costs are covered by the health insurance, it will pay for the following treatment steps: Drilling, disinfection and filling of the root canals.
The chance of success is about 60% – 70%. If the chances of success are to be increased, additional, more specialized methods are required, which allow for even more precise analysis and treatment of the root canals, but these must be paid for by the patient. For example, root canal treatment under a microscope would have to be paid for privately.
