Carmel Dental Clinic
Patient guide
What decides the cost of dental treatment
The most common question at any dental front desk is how much something will cost, and the honest answer before an examination is that it depends. This guide explains what it depends on, so a quote makes sense when you get one.
General information from Carmel Dental Clinic, last reviewed . Not a diagnosis.
Why two people pay different amounts for the same treatment
A root canal on a front tooth with one canal and a root canal on a lower molar with three or four curved canals are very different pieces of work. The same is true of almost every treatment: the name is the same, the tooth is not.
Materials, laboratory work and the number of visits differ too. That is why a price given before anyone has looked at the tooth can only ever be a rough range.
What changes the price
- Root canal treatmentWhich tooth and how many canals, whether it was treated before, and whether a crown is needed afterwards.
- FillingsThe size of the cavity, how many surfaces of the tooth it covers, and the material.
- Crowns and bridgesThe material, such as metal-ceramic, all-ceramic or zirconia, and the number of units in a bridge.
- Dental implantsThe number of implants, whether bone grafting is needed, and what is fitted on top.
- Aligners and bracesHow complex the movement is, how long treatment takes, and the retainers afterwards.
- DenturesComplete or partial, the base material, and how many teeth it replaces.
Questions worth asking before you agree
- What is the total, across every visit, not just today?
- Does the price include X-rays, temporary crowns and follow-up reviews?
- What are the options, and what does each cost?
- What happens, and what will it cost, if I wait?
- Can the treatment be spread across several visits?
Why the cheapest option is not always the cheapest
A tooth taken out for less than a root canal may later need an implant or a bridge that costs more than saving it would have. A large filling on a cracked back tooth may fail where a crown would not. The price on the day and the cost over ten years are different numbers, and both are worth asking about.
How pricing works at this clinic
Treatment is quoted after the examination and before any work starts, as a written estimate. You are told what is wrong before anyone suggests what it costs, and wanting time to think it over is a normal answer.
Questions we are actually asked
Does health insurance cover dental treatment in India?
Many health insurance policies in India do not cover routine or cosmetic dental treatment, though some cover dental treatment needed after an accident or offer dental cover as an add-on. Check your own policy wording before treatment, and ask for an itemised bill if you plan to claim.
Why can I not get an exact price over the phone?
Because until the tooth has been examined, and often X-rayed, nobody knows which version of the treatment you need. An exact figure before that would be a guess.
Treatments mentioned here
Want the cost of your own treatment?
Book an examination. You will leave with a written plan and the cost of each part of it.
This page describes a dental procedure in general terms. It is not a diagnosis and not a treatment plan, and outcomes vary from person to person. What is right for you is decided after a clinical examination at the clinic. See our terms and medical disclaimer.