Is a root canal painful?

Treatment is carried out under local anaesthetic, so the tooth is numb throughout - most patients describe pressure rather than pain. The tooth can feel tender for a few days afterwards, which normally settles with ordinary pain relief. The pain people associate with root canals is usually the toothache before treatment, which the treatment is there to end.

How long does a root canal take?

Usually one or two appointments of around an hour to ninety minutes each, depending on the tooth - back teeth have more canals than front teeth. Your dentist will tell you what to expect for yours.

Will the tooth need a crown afterwards?

Often, yes - a root-treated back tooth is more brittle and a crown protects it from cracking. Your dentist will advise; crowns are from £595 per tooth.

How much does root canal treatment cost in Edinburgh?

Private root canal treatment depends on the tooth: a front tooth is from £295, a premolar from £320 and a molar from £520. Re-treating a root canal that has failed is from £550. Root canal treatment is also provided on the NHS for patients registered with the practice, with NHS charges set by NHS Scotland: you pay 80% of the cost, capped at £384 for a single course of treatment, and under-26s, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on certain benefits pay nothing. 0% finance is available on private treatment from £250.

Can you re-treat a root canal that has failed?

Yes - re-treatment (re-RCT) is something we offer, and we also accept referrals for it from other practices. A CBCT scan in-house helps assess the tooth first.

Does NHS root canal treatment cover back teeth?

Yes. We provide NHS root canal treatment on any permanent tooth, including molars, for patients registered with the practice. The NHS fee depends on the type of tooth, and you pay 80% of it, capped at £384 for a single course of treatment, unless you are exempt. If a tooth is too complex to treat properly here, we'll tell you and arrange a referral. If the tooth then needs a crown, an NHS crown is available too: on the NHS we provide metal and porcelain bonded to metal (metal-ceramic) crowns, and all-ceramic crowns, such as zirconia and Emax, are private. You can mix the two, with NHS root canal treatment and a private crown on the same tooth, but private work on the tooth within 12 months ends the free NHS repair or replacement of the root filling.

Can antibiotics clear the infection instead of a root canal?

No. Antibiotics do not cure a tooth infection on their own. NHS inform says they are not routinely prescribed for a dental abscess, but may be used if the infection spreads or is particularly severe, and Scottish prescribing guidance for dentists (SDCEP) says to treat an abscess first by draining it and, where possible, removing the cause. That is what root canal treatment does, or taking the tooth out if it can't be saved.

How successful is root canal treatment?

A patient leaflet from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust puts success at about 96% when there is no inflammation at the tip of the root before treatment, and about 85% when there already is. Re-treating a root canal that has failed succeeds less often: the same leaflet gives 40 to 80%. These are the hospital's figures rather than ours, and no treatment is guaranteed. Your dentist will tell you how your tooth looks on the X-ray before you decide.

How long will my tooth be sore after a root canal?

It is normal for the tooth to feel tender, especially when biting, for a few days. The NHS website for England (nhs.uk) says soreness should improve within a couple of weeks, and ordinary painkillers usually cover it. A small number of people - about 1 to 5% in Leeds Teaching Hospitals' figures - have a flare-up of pain afterwards. If the pain is getting worse rather than better, or your face swells, contact the practice, or phone NHS 24 on 111 when we're closed.

Do you treat NHS and private patients?

Yes. City Dental Care is a mixed NHS and private practice, and we are currently accepting new NHS and private patients.

How do I book an appointment?

You can book online through our website, or call the practice on 0131 228 2442. We are open until 8pm Monday to Thursday, and until 5pm on Friday. If you are in pain, tell reception - same-day emergency appointments are available.

Where is the practice?

We are at 9 Earl Grey Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9BN - in the heart of Edinburgh, a short walk from Haymarket Station.

Is there parking at the practice?

Yes - the Princes Exchange Car Park is in our own building, accessed from Riego Street at the rear (9/2 Riego Street, EH3 9BL). Parking is payable: £3 for 1 hour, or £5 for up to 3 hours. The car park opens at 9.30am, so if you are driving to an earlier appointment we suggest street parking nearby. Blue Badge holders can park free on Fountainbridge, and we are a short walk from Haymarket Station.

Treatment room at City Dental Care, Edinburgh

Root Canal Treatment in Edinburgh

Root canal treatment saves a tooth whose nerve has become infected or died — the usual cause of severe, throbbing toothache. The infected tissue is removed, the canals inside the root are cleaned and sealed, and the tooth is restored, so it can stay rather than be extracted. At City Dental Care on Earl Grey Street it's done under local anaesthetic, with in-house CBCT imaging when the anatomy needs a closer look, and we also take on re-treatments of root canals that have failed. It's available privately, or on the NHS for patients registered with the practice.

Transparent pricing

Root canal treatment from £295Private emergency appointment £85 (including any X-rays needed, a temporary filling or dressing to settle the pain, and a prescription if needed) · Crowns from £595 per tooth

Private fees shown. Root canal treatment is also provided on the NHS for patients registered with the practice. 0% finance on private treatment from £250.

Book an Appointment In pain now? Emergency dentist

Signs a Tooth May Need Root Canal Treatment

Persistent or throbbing toothache, especially at night
Pain when biting or when the tooth is touched
Lingering sensitivity to hot or cold that doesn't fade quickly
A swollen or tender gum, or a small pimple on the gum near the tooth
A tooth that has darkened after an injury
A deep cavity or crack that has reached the nerve

Not every toothache needs a root canal — an assessment and X-ray tell us what the tooth actually needs.

What Happens During Root Canal Treatment

Assessment and X-ray:

We confirm the nerve is the problem, check the root shape and, where the anatomy is unclear, take a CBCT scan in-house rather than sending you elsewhere.

Numbing:

Local anaesthetic - the tooth is fully numb before anything starts, and we check before continuing.

Cleaning the canals:

The infected tissue is removed and the canals inside the root are cleaned, shaped and disinfected under a rubber dam, which keeps the tooth dry and isolated.

Sealing:

The canals are filled and sealed to keep bacteria out. This may be done the same visit or at a second appointment, depending on the tooth.

Restoring the tooth:

A filling, and for back teeth usually a crown, protects the tooth - root-treated teeth are more brittle and a crown guards against cracking.

Cracked tooth isolated under rubber dam, with detector dye showing the crack lines - a City Dental Care patient

What to Expect Afterwards

The tooth can feel tender for a few days, particularly on biting, and ordinary pain relief usually covers it. Avoid chewing hard foods on it until the final restoration is in place. Most root-treated teeth go on to last many years; the honest caveat is that a small proportion don't settle and need re-treatment or, occasionally, extraction — which is why we plan the restoration properly and review the tooth.

How Much Does Root Canal Treatment Cost?

Private root canal treatment depends on the tooth: a front tooth is from £295, a premolar from £320 and a molar from £520. Afterwards the tooth needs a filling, onlay or crown to protect it, and for back teeth that is usually a crown (from £595 per tooth), so your written plan shows the root canal treatment and the restoration together before anything starts. Re-treating a root canal that has failed is from £550; all our fees are on our price list. 0% finance is available on private treatment from £250 up to £5,000.

Root Canal Treatment on the NHS

Root canal treatment is also provided on the NHS for patients registered with the practice, on any permanent tooth, including molars, and if a tooth is too complex to treat properly here, we'll tell you and arrange a referral. NHS charges are set by NHS Scotland: you pay 80% of the cost, capped at £384 for a single course of treatment, and under-26s, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on certain benefits pay nothing. You can mix NHS and private care on the same tooth — for example, NHS root canal treatment followed by either an NHS crown or a private tooth-coloured crown on a molar — and we'll always tell you before any treatment whether it's NHS or private, and what it costs.

If a root filling or crown that we provided under the NHS has to be repaired or replaced within 12 months, you are not charged for it while you remain registered with us — unless the treatment was temporary, it was provided against our advice, the tooth has had private treatment or non-temporary treatment at another practice in those 12 months, the repair is needed because of an accident, or a different treatment is needed because a satisfactory repair or replacement is not possible. So if a tooth we root-filled under the NHS then has a private crown within those 12 months, the free repair or replacement no longer applies to that tooth. More about registering as an NHS patient with us.

Endodontist or general dentist?

An endodontist is a dentist who has completed further training in root canal treatment and is on the General Dental Council's specialist list for endodontics. Most root canals do not need one. They are part of everyday general practice and are done well by general dentists.

We do not have a specialist endodontist on the team. Root canal treatment here is carried out by our own dentists, under rubber dam, with CBCT imaging on site when the root anatomy is unclear — including re-treatment of root canals started elsewhere. Where a tooth is beyond what we can do properly, such as a blocked or unusually complex canal, or a treatment that has already failed more than once, we will tell you and arrange a referral rather than keep trying.

Why Have Root Canal Treatment at City Dental Care?

Imaging in-house:

A Rayscan Alpha 3D CBCT scanner on site, so complex root anatomy or a failed previous treatment can be assessed the same visit.

Re-treatments welcome:

Re-RCT for root canals that have failed, including referrals from other practices.

Same-day when it hurts:

Emergency appointments to get you out of pain first, with evenings until 8pm Monday to Thursday (we close at 5pm on Friday).

The price in writing:

From £295, published here and on our price list, with a written plan including the restoration before treatment starts.

Save the Tooth, or Replace It?

Where a tooth can be saved, root canal treatment is normally the better and less expensive route. Where it can't, the tooth is taken out, and the gap can be left or filled with a bridge, a denture or a dental implant — our guide on implants, bridges and dentures compares them honestly.

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