Root Canal Cost in Marietta: The Real Total Once You Add the Crown

Here is the question almost nobody answers in one place: what does a root canal cost in Marietta once you include everything the tooth actually needs? Most back teeth need a crown after root canal treatment, and that second procedure often costs as much as the first. This article lays out both numbers, the combined root canal and crown cost by tooth position, how insurance treats each half, and the honest comparison with extraction.

How Much Does a Root Canal Cost in Marietta, GA?

A root canal by itself typically costs $1,200 to $1,500 depending on the tooth, based on national out-of-network fee data from Delta Dental, and that fee does not include the crown.

Delta Dental’s 2025 fee data lists typical charges of about $1,200 for a front tooth, $1,300 for a premolar, and $1,500 for a molar. Those figures line up with a national cost study from CareCredit, which found a national average of $1,165 and a Georgia average of $1,227.

Tooth position affects the price because front teeth usually have just one canal, making treatment quicker. Molars often have three or four canals, are harder to reach, and take more time to treat.

Delta Dental data shows that the root canal fee usually covers all visits and X-rays needed to complete treatment, but not the final restoration. At the very least, the tooth will need a new filling, and most back teeth should get a crown. This difference is where many unexpected costs come from.

Why Do So Many Quotes Leave Out the Crown?

Quotes often leave out the crown because it is a separate procedure with its own billing code. Some offices only give you the price for the procedure you ask about.

It is normal for the root canal and crown to be billed separately. If the endodontist only does the root canal, they will not quote a crown fee, and the front desk may only give you the price you asked about. The issue is that you might budget for just the root canal, but your tooth often needs both procedures. After a root canal, the tooth loses its nerve and blood supply and becomes more brittle, especially in back teeth that handle heavy chewing. That is why both procedures should be included in your treatment plan.

“The most common surprise I see is a patient who budgeted carefully for the root canal and never heard about the crown,” says J. Blair Waldron, DMD, of Waldron & Lee Dentistry in Marietta, GA. “Those are two procedures with two fees. An honest treatment plan shows both numbers on day one, because the tooth needs both to hold up.”

When you call for an estimate, be sure to ask: What is the total cost with the crown and any buildup included?

How Much Does the Crown Add to the Bill?

A crown adds $800 to $2,500 to the total, according to GoodRx, with the exact price driven mostly by the crown material.

All-ceramic and zirconia crowns are at the higher end of the price range and look the most natural. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns average about $1,100, and metal crowns for molars vary in price depending on the alloy.

There are two common extra charges on these treatment plans. GoodRx lists a core buildup at $200 to $500, which replaces missing tooth structure so the crown has something to hold onto. A post and core costs $250 to $650 and anchors the buildup inside the treated canal when little natural tooth is left. Ask if your estimate includes these, since they can add several hundred dollars to your total.

The visit count differs too. A traditional crown takes two appointments, with a temporary worn for two to three weeks while a lab makes the permanent one. CEREC single-visit crowns, which Waldron & Lee Dentistry mills in-office with digital impressions and 3D technology, deliver the permanent crown in about 90 minutes with no temporary at all.

What Is the Combined Root Canal and Crown Cost by Tooth Position?

The combined root canal and crown cost generally runs from about $2,000 for a front tooth up to about $4,000 for a molar with a premium crown, based on the Delta Dental and GoodRx figures above.

The math is simple addition, and the tooth position moves both halves.

Front teeth

A front tooth root canal runs about $1,200 in the Delta Dental data. Front teeth take less chewing force, so a tooth with enough healthy structure left can sometimes be finished with a filling instead of a crown, keeping the total close to the root canal fee alone. If the tooth is dark, badly broken down, or structurally weak, a crown still makes sense, which puts the combined total in the $2,000 to $3,700 range.

Premolars and molars

A premolar root canal costs about $1,300, and a molar is about $1,500. Since these teeth do most of the chewing, a crown is usually needed. When you add the $800 to $2,500 crown cost and possible buildup, the total for a back tooth is usually $2,300 to $4,000. This is the number you should plan for, not just the root canal fee.

The team at Waldron & Lee Dentistry has completed more than 2,000 root canals and more than 8,000 crown and bridge cases, so a combined treatment plan with both numbers spelled out is routine here.

How Does Dental Insurance Handle Each Half of the Bill?

Most PPO dental plans treat the root canal and the crown as two separate claims, commonly paying 50 to 80 percent of the root canal and about half of a medically necessary crown after your deductible.

The Delta Dental data puts typical root canal coverage at 50 to 80 percent once the deductible is met, and GoodRx reports that private dental insurance usually pays about 50 percent of a medically necessary crown, which a crown after a root canal generally is.

There is an important detail: annual maximums. GoodRx points out that many plans limit benefits to $1,000 to $2,500 per year. This means a single root canal and crown treatment can use up your entire yearly maximum, and your plan may stop paying before the treatment is finished, even if the coverage percentages seem generous.

A quick word on network status, since it comes up on nearly every insurance call. Waldron & Lee Dentistry is out-of-network with PPO dental plans, but most patients still use their benefits there and find it very affordable. Most PPO plans pay toward out-of-network care, and the practice files claims as a courtesy and will help you maximize your benefits, including submitting a pre-determination to your insurer so you have a firm number before committing. Patients without insurance can look into the practice’s in-house Friends & Family Dental Plan. The more useful way to choose a dentist for a root canal and crown is experience, technology, and how clearly the office explains the full cost, rather than whose name appears on an insurer’s list.

Is a Root Canal and Crown Cheaper Than an Extraction and Implant?

Yes, in most cases saving the tooth costs less than removing and replacing it, and the American Association of Endodontists states that extraction followed by replacement is often the more expensive path.

Run the replacement math. The extraction itself is the cheap part; CareCredit’s national data puts a simple extraction at $137 to $835. But an extracted back tooth should be replaced, or neighboring teeth drift and the jawbone under the gap begins to shrink. CareCredit’s single tooth implant data shows a Georgia average of $1,962 for the implant placement alone, before the separate implant crown. Stack extraction, implant, and implant crown together and the replacement route commonly exceeds the root canal and crown total, and it takes months of healing instead of weeks.

The American Association of Endodontists puts the clinical case plainly: nothing looks, feels, or functions like a natural tooth, and extraction is often the larger, less comfortable procedure. When a tooth can be predictably saved, the root canal and crown is usually the cheaper and better answer.

When Is Pulling the Tooth the Smarter Financial Call?

Extraction becomes the smarter call when the tooth cannot be predictably saved, because paying for a root canal and crown on a doomed tooth means paying for the extraction and replacement later anyway.

An honest cost article has to say this part out loud. There are real situations where the dentists at Waldron & Lee Dentistry will tell you a root canal is not the right investment. A crack that runs below the gumline usually cannot be sealed. A tooth with too little structure left above the gum may not hold a crown even with a post and buildup. A failed prior root canal sometimes carries a poor enough outlook that retreatment money is better spent on replacement. And a tooth loosened by advanced gum disease can fail around a technically perfect root canal.

In those cases, spending $2,000 to $4,000 to save the tooth only delays an extraction you will still pay for. The sound move is extraction and a planned replacement, and since Waldron & Lee Dentistry places and restores implants in-house with 3D Cone Beam imaging, that conversation happens in one office rather than across referrals. The practice has served Marietta and East Cobb for more than 40 years on the promise that it will never sell you a service you do not need, and that includes a root canal on a tooth that will not last.

What Happens If You Skip the Crown or Delay the Root Canal?

Skipping either half of the treatment tends to cost more later: an uncrowned back tooth can fracture and become unsaveable, and a delayed root canal lets infection spread beyond the tooth.

Take the crown first. GoodRx notes that going without a needed crown may eventually lead to extraction, because a treated molar that fractures under chewing force often cracks in a way that cannot be repaired. At that point the $800 to $2,500 you saved converts into an extraction plus a replacement bill measured in thousands.

Delaying the root canal carries its own price. CareCredit’s overview is clear: without treatment, infection can spread into surrounding gum tissue and bone and can lead to serious medical complications. A tooth that might have been saved this month can become a tooth that must be pulled next year. If your tooth aches, throbs at night, or reacts sharply to heat, treat it as a dental emergency worth a phone call today.

How Can You Pay for a Root Canal and Crown in Marietta?

Marietta patients typically cover a root canal and crown through PPO out-of-network benefits, CareCredit financing, the practice’s membership plan, or out-of-pocket payment.

At Waldron & Lee Dentistry, the payment options work like this. The practice files insurance claims on your behalf and bills the remaining balance after your plan pays. CareCredit healthcare financing is available, subject to approval, and spreads the combined cost over monthly payments. Patients without dental insurance can join the Friends & Family Dental Plan, and cash, debit, and major credit cards are accepted for out-of-pocket payment.

If dental treatment itself is what you have been putting off, say so at your first call. The practice built its sedation options and comfort menu around patients who dread the chair, and a root canal today is far gentler than its reputation.

Get Both Numbers Before You Decide

If a Marietta dentist has told you that you need a root canal, get the full picture before you commit: the root canal fee, the crown fee, and what your benefits will cover. Call Waldron & Lee Dentistry at (770) 977-5547 or request an appointment online, and the team will build a treatment plan with every number on it.