Quick answer
In Sydney, root canal treatment commonly costs $900 to $1,600 for a front tooth (one canal), $1,100 to $2,000 for a premolar, and $1,500 to $2,800 for a molar (three to four canals). Back teeth usually then need a crown ($1,500 to $2,300) to protect the brittle treated tooth, which honest quotes state upfront. Compare the full path against extraction plus replacement (an implant runs $4,000 to $7,000) and keeping your own tooth is usually both the cheaper and the better outcome. Health fund major dental typically rebates part of each stage.
The realistic ranges, by tooth
- Front teeth (incisors, canines): one canal; commonly $900 to $1,600
- Premolars: one to two canals; commonly $1,100 to $2,000
- Molars: three to four curved canals and most of the appointment time; commonly $1,500 to $2,800
The canal count is the cost driver: each is located, cleaned, shaped and sealed under magnification. Complex anatomy, re-treatments of old root canals, and referral-grade cases (which we'll identify honestly and refer to an endodontist) sit above these ranges.
The crown part, said plainly
A root-treated back tooth is drier and more brittle, and chewing eventually cracks unprotected ones, wasting the root canal you paid for. Budgeting a molar root canal without its crown is budgeting half the project; a fair quote puts both stages and both numbers in writing from the start, as ours do. Front teeth often manage without crowns; your written plan says which applies.
Root canal vs extraction: the honest maths
Extraction is cheaper on the day ($200 to $600 typically) and dearer as a decade: the gap invites drifting neighbours and bone loss, and proper replacement costs more than the root canal would have ($4,000 to $7,000 for an implant; bridges similar). Root canal plus crown, keeping your own root in service, is usually the better economics AND the better dentistry. When a tooth genuinely isn't worth saving, we'll say exactly that and show you why on the X-ray.