Short answer: Root canal plus crown typically costs $2,000–$6,500 and keeps your own tooth, with a 10-year survival somewhere in the 80–97% range depending on the study. Pulling the tooth is cheaper upfront ($150–$700) but the replacement adds up: implant $4,500–$8,500 over ten years, bridge $2,700–$7,500, partial denture $1,500–$5,500, or $0 now with hidden downstream costs if you leave the gap. The right call depends on the crack, the bone and the tooth's job in your bite not just the quote.
What does a root canal and crown cost in Perth?
A root canal is never billed as a single number, which is part of why it's hard to compare against extraction. It depends on the tooth (a single-rooted front tooth is simpler than a three-canal molar), how many visits it takes, and whether a specialist endodontist or a general dentist does the work.
As a guide, root canal treatment on its own typically runs from the low hundreds for a front tooth up to the mid-thousands for a complex molar. Root canal therapy on a molar is commonly quoted in the range of $1,300 to $2,800, and a crown to protect the tooth afterwards sits around $1,500 to $2,500 for a porcelain or metal-free crown. Put the two together on a back tooth and the realistic all-up figure for root canal plus crown is roughly $2,500–$5,900, with front teeth often landing at the lower end of that band.
These are guide figures only a written quote always follows a clinical exam, because the number of canals, whether a core build-up is needed, and the crown material all move the price. For a full breakdown of what drives root canal fees, see our guide to root canal treatment and costs in Perth, and for crown material pricing specifically, our dental crown cost guide breaks down porcelain, ceramic and zirconia options.
What does it cost to pull the tooth instead?
A straightforward extraction is one of the cheaper things a dentist does, and that's exactly why it looks so attractive next to a root canal quote on paper. As a guide, a simple extraction is often in the low hundreds, with surgical extractions (impacted or broken teeth) running higher a simple, erupted tooth extraction is commonly quoted around $300 to $700 once you include the harder cases.
But that number is only the start. Pulling a tooth leaves a gap, and a gap has consequences the bite can drift, the opposing tooth can over-erupt, and bone at the site starts to resorb once there's no root stimulating it. That's why the extraction number on its own is misleading until you add what comes next. For extraction pricing and aftercare, see tooth extraction in Perth: what it costs and how to care for your socket, and for the general treatment option, tooth extractions.
The real ten-year arithmetic
This is the comparison that nobody seems to run honestly, because it means admitting that the cheapest option on day one isn't necessarily the cheapest option by year ten. Here's a rough shape of it, as a guide only your actual numbers depend on the tooth, your bite, and what your dentist finds on examination.
| Pathway | Upfront cost | What can add to it over 10 years | Rough 10-year total | |---|---|---|---| | Root canal + crown | $2,000–$5,900 | Possible retreatment or crown replacement if the tooth fails | $2,000–$6,500 | | Extraction + implant | $4,650–$7,700 | Crown chip/re-cement, screw maintenance, rare peri-implant issues | $5,000–$8,500 | | Extraction + bridge | $2,700–$6,200 | Abutment tooth decay or bridge remake within the decade | $3,000–$7,500 | | Extraction + partial denture | $750–$3,700 | Relines, adjustments, possible remake as the ridge changes shape | $1,500–$5,500 | | Extraction, no replacement | $150–$700 | Drifting teeth, bite changes, bone loss that can complicate a later implant | $150–$700 upfront, but higher if you replace it later |
A few things jump out. Root canal and crown is often the cheapest total cost over ten years precisely because there's no second procedure bundled underneath it you're paying once for the tooth you already have. An implant generally costs more over the decade but replaces what's missing with something that functions like a tooth and doesn't rely on neighbouring teeth. A bridge sits in between on cost but puts load and risk onto the teeth either side of the gap. Leaving the gap is cheapest in dollars today and most expensive in flexibility later.
For a wider view of how these line items sit against other Perth dental costs, see dental costs in Perth 2026: what common treatments really cost.
Is a root canal worth it, or should you extract?
"Worth it" depends on what the tooth is doing for you and what's actually wrong with it. A root canal is worth considering when the tooth has a reasonable amount of healthy structure left, the root isn't cracked, and the bone around it is in decent shape. In that scenario, you're paying once to keep a tooth that, statistically, has a good chance of lasting.
The survival data varies by study and by how the tooth is restored afterwards. A 37-year retrospective study tracking 598 root canal treated teeth found cumulative survival rates of 97% at 10 years, while a separate Swedish cohort of teeth treated by general dentists found cumulative 10-year survival was 81.7%, with a mean incidence of tooth extraction of 1.8% per year. The honest summary is that ten-year survival for a root-filled, crowned tooth is reported anywhere from roughly 80% to the high 90s good odds, but not a guarantee, and no dentist can promise an outcome.
When is extraction the better clinical choice?
Root canal treatment isn't automatically the right answer, and a dentist who tells you it always is isn't being straight with you. Extraction tends to be the better option when:
The root is cracked or fractured, particularly a vertical root fracture these generally don't heal and a root canal won't fix them.
There's severe bone loss around the tooth from gum disease, leaving too little support even if the canal itself is treatable.
The tooth is so broken down there isn't enough structure left to build a stable core and crown on top.
A previous root canal has failed and retreatment odds are poor.
In these situations, spending money trying to save the tooth can delay the inevitable and add cost on top of the extraction and replacement you end up needing anyway.
Root canal vs implant: which actually lasts longer?
Both can last well, and both can fail the numbers are closer than marketing from either side suggests. Implant survival is commonly reported at around 90–95% over a 10-year period in healthy patients, which sits in a similar band to crowned root canal teeth. The trade-off isn't really about which wins on longevity; it's about what each option asks of the rest of your mouth. An implant doesn't touch neighbouring teeth, but there is some evidence that the 10-year survival rate was 89.2% for teeth adjacent to implants, with root fracture as the primary cause of loss a reminder that no option is entirely risk-free to the surrounding dentition. A root canal, by contrast, keeps your own root in the bone, which is one reason many dentists try to save a tooth when the clinical picture allows it. For implant cost detail specific to Perth, see our dental implants cost guide, and for a side-by-side on bridges, implants and partial dentures as replacements, see dental bridge cost Perth: bridge vs implant vs partial denture.
What happens if you leave the gap?
Doing nothing after an extraction is the cheapest choice on the day, and sometimes it's genuinely reasonable — a back tooth with no opposing tooth to bite against, for instance, may not need replacing. But a gap in an active bite tends not to stay still. Neighbouring teeth can tip into the space, the opposing tooth can over-erupt, and the jawbone at the site remodels without a root to maintain it. None of that is an emergency, but all of it can make a later implant more complicated and more expensive than if it had been placed earlier. That's the cost that doesn't show up on day one.
How North Beach Dental can help you weigh it up
North Beach Dental offers root canal treatment, dental implants and All-on-4, dentures, cosmetic dentistry and porcelain veneers, which covers most of the pathways in the table above under one roof. If a tooth is in question, the team can assess whether the root, the remaining structure and the bone support a root canal, and talk you through what a crown, an implant or a denture would look like for your specific case. Every figure in this article is a guide; your written quote comes after an exam and, where needed, an x-ray. Find the practice at North Beach Dental or see the root canal treatment page for more detail, then book an appointment to get a plan specific to your tooth.
FAQ
Is a root canal worth it compared to extraction? Often yes, if the root isn't cracked and there's enough tooth and bone left to support a crown it tends to be the cheaper path over ten years because you're not also paying for a replacement. It's not automatically the right call for every tooth, which is why an exam matters more than a general rule.
What's cheaper over ten years, a root canal and crown or an implant? As a guide, root canal plus crown often lands around $2,000–$6,500 over a decade, while extraction plus implant is typically $5,000–$8,500 once the crown and any maintenance are included. Your actual numbers depend on the tooth and come after a written quote.
Can a root canal fail years later? Yes. Reported 10-year survival for root-filled, crowned teeth ranges from roughly 80% to the high 90s depending on the study, so a small proportion do fail and may need retreatment or extraction later.
Is it cheaper to just pull the tooth and do nothing? Upfront, yes — extraction with no replacement is usually $150–$700. The downside is that gaps can let neighbouring teeth drift and bone can resorb, which may complicate and add cost to a replacement if you decide on one later.
When should I choose extraction over root canal treatment? Generally when the root is fractured, there's significant bone loss from gum disease, or there isn't enough healthy tooth structure left to rebuild. A dentist can usually tell from an exam and x-ray which category your tooth falls into.
How much does a root canal cost in Perth without a crown? As a guide, root canal treatment alone is often in the hundreds for a front tooth up to around $2,800 for a complex molar, with a crown adding roughly $1,500–$2,500 on top. A written quote follows your exam.
