Root canal treatment in Turkey: keeping a tooth worth keeping

Time in Antalya

Planned with your other treatment

Trips

Set out in your written plan

Anaesthetic

Local; sedation by an anaesthetist on request

Guarantee

Not covered; crown on top 5 years

Our price

Written quote

Root canal treatment in Turkey is rarely the reason someone books a dental trip, but it is often part of one. When we examine a patient who came for crowns or a smile makeover, the X-ray sometimes shows a tooth with an infected or dying nerve. At Precious Dental in Antalya our first instinct is to see whether that tooth can be saved, because a well-treated natural tooth is usually worth keeping. This page explains what root canal treatment involves, when it is a good idea and when it is not, and how we price it.

What is inside a tooth

Under the hard enamel and dentine, every tooth has a soft core called the pulp, made of nerve and blood vessels. It runs down through thin channels, the root canals, to the tip of each root. Front teeth usually have one canal. Molars commonly have three or four, sometimes curved or very narrow.

Deep decay, a crack, a large old filling or a knock can let bacteria reach the pulp. Once it is infected or dies, it cannot heal. Left alone, infection can spread out through the root tip into the bone, which is how a dental abscess forms.

Signs a tooth might need it

• toothache that throbs, wakes you at night or lingers after hot or cold drinks
• pain when biting on one particular tooth
• a swelling or a small spot on the gum that comes and goes
• a tooth that has turned darker than its neighbours
• nothing at all: some infected teeth are found only on an X-ray

If you have a swelling that is spreading, a fever, or difficulty swallowing, see a dentist or doctor at home straight away. That is urgent care, not something to save for a trip.

What root canal treatment does

The dentist makes a small opening in the top of the tooth, removes the infected pulp, and cleans and shapes each canal with fine instruments and disinfecting solutions. The canals are then filled with a rubber-like material and sealed so bacteria cannot get back in. Finally the tooth is closed with a filling and, for most back teeth, protected with a crown.

Root canal work at our clinic is carried out by dentists trained in it, including Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, whose areas include implant surgery, prosthetics and root canal treatment.

Save the tooth, or take it out?

This is the real question, and we would rather you heard both sides.

Reasons to save it: your own root keeps the bone around it, the tooth still feels like yours, and there is no surgery or healing period as there is with an implant. Published reviews of primary root canal treatment report that a clear majority of treated teeth heal and stay in function over several years.

Reasons to remove it: a crack running down the root, very little tooth left above the gum, severe bone loss from gum disease, or a tooth that has already been root treated and failed more than once. In those cases an implant or a bridge may give a more predictable result.

The dentist decides with you on day one, using a clinical examination and X-rays, and where needed our 3D CBCT scan, which can show infection and root shapes that a flat X-ray misses.

How it works at our clinic

1. X-ray from home Send a recent X-ray if you have one, plus photos. A dentist reviews them and includes any likely root canal treatment in your preliminary written plan. No payment needed.
2. Diagnosis in Antalya On day one the dentist examines the tooth, takes X-rays or a 3D scan and confirms in writing whether treatment is advised and what it involves.
3. Numbing Local anaesthetic is given. If you are very anxious, sedation by an anaesthetist can be arranged on request.
4. Cleaning the canals The pulp is removed and each canal is cleaned and shaped. Some teeth are finished in one visit; infected or complex teeth may need a dressing and a second visit a few days later.
5. Sealing The canals are filled and sealed, and the tooth is closed.
6. Protecting the tooth If a crown is planned, it is made and fitted during the same trip where possible. You get written aftercare.

Because root canal treatment is usually combined with crowns or other work, its timing is built into your overall plan. See how it works.

After treatment

The tooth often feels bruised or tender to bite on for a few days. Ordinary painkillers usually help. Avoid chewing hard food on it until the crown is fitted, because an unprotected root-treated back tooth can split. Contact us if pain gets worse rather than better after a few days, or if swelling appears.

Risks and honest limits

• It does not always work. Infection can persist or return, sometimes because of a hidden crack or a canal that is very hard to reach.
• Fracture. Root-treated teeth are more brittle, which is why crowns are recommended for back teeth.
• Instrument problems. Rarely, a fine file breaks inside a narrow canal, or the root wall is perforated.
• Discolouration of front teeth over time.
• A second treatment or removal may eventually be needed.

Price and what is included

We give a written price after seeing your X-ray or photos. The cost depends on which tooth it is, how many canals it has and whether it has been treated before. If a crown is advised afterwards, zirconia crowns are £150 per tooth and E-max crowns £225. Transfers are included and flights are not. The fee is paid in Antalya against the plan you agreed. See prices.

Guarantee: what we can and cannot promise

Root canal treatment is not covered by our written guarantee. That is not because we take it lightly; it is because its outcome depends partly on the tooth itself. We will tell you honestly how promising your tooth looks before you decide. The crown placed on the tooth is covered for 5 years, on the usual conditions of good hygiene and regular check-ups. Read the guarantee page for full terms.

Send us your X-ray

If a dentist has told you a tooth needs root canal treatment or extraction, send us the X-ray and we will give you a written second view and a price, free of charge. Use our contact form or WhatsApp.

Common questions

Is root canal treatment painful?

The tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic, so most people feel pressure rather than pain during treatment. The tooth may be tender for a few days afterwards. Often the treatment relieves pain that the infection was causing.

Why do you not guarantee root canal treatment?

Its outcome depends on things nobody can fully control, such as hidden cracks or the shape of the canals. We explain the likely outlook for your tooth honestly instead. A crown fitted on top carries our 5-year guarantee.

Will I need a crown afterwards?

Back teeth usually do, because a root-treated tooth can become brittle and crack. Front teeth sometimes manage with a filling. See crowns.

Should I just have the tooth out and an implant?

Sometimes that is the better plan, for example if the tooth is cracked to the root. If the tooth can be saved with a good outlook, we prefer to keep it. See dental implants to compare.

How much does root canal treatment cost with you?

We give a written price after seeing a recent X-ray, because a front tooth with one canal and a molar with three or four are very different jobs.

Sources

1. NHS: Root canal treatment
2. Oral Health Foundation: Root canal treatment
3. Burns LE et al. (2022) Outcomes of primary root canal therapy: an updated systematic review of longitudinal clinical studies published between 2003 and 2020. Int Endod J
4. NHS: Dental abscess

Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.