Molar Root Canal Billing Question?

My girlfriend needs a root canal on one of her back molars. She went in for her root canal appointment today, and after an hour of work, the endonist said that her root canal is "tricky" and said that she'd have to come back for a 2nd root canal on the tooth (and pay for a second procedure).





We have the Careington Dental discount plan which says that a root canal on a molar should cost us $423.00 (it's ADA code 3330). Is it normal to have to pay for two root canal procedures on the same tooth? Or should this $423.00 cover the full procedure (regardless of how 'tricky' the endonist says it is)?





$900 is a lot of money, just want to make sure that we aren't being taken for a ride. At the same time, I don't want to give the endonist a hard time if she's doing what she is supposed to.

Molar Root Canal Billing Question?
The Careington Dental discount plan has their own fee schedule that has no basis in reality other than this is the deal they sold you. They managed to find a few dentists who are willing to work for 50% of the typical fee in hopes of gathering in some new patients who need a lot of work.





The national average fee for a molar root canal is easily $900-1,000, so the $900 does not surprise me.





If your dentist has an agreement with Careington Dental discount plan to abide by their fee schedule, I suggest that you contact them and ask them to intervene on your behalf.
Reply:I'm glad you read deeper so that you understood your contract. That flat fee probably only applied if you used a general dentist who was "on the list" by the plan. The important thing here is that I hope your girlfriend is doing okay by now and, if not, soon. Report It

Reply:I just had a root canal done a couple weeks ago and it costed me $619.00, but more than likely prices will vary depending on which dentist you see. Report It

Reply:I think you are being scammed. I've had 3 root canals done over the years and two required return visits to finish. I was never charged for the second visit.
Reply:i did have a root canal on the very back tooth and b/c the tooth has 4 roots, they actually have to clean each one separately, depending on the decay in the tooth. i remember it being tricky b/c of this. it just went on and on...the drilling. you can also call your insurance and ask them about this too. they will let you know about the procedure and you can also ask the endodonist to explain the procedure and ask for the x rays....i've had a lot of work done...insurance companies can explain the procedure too.
Reply:Molars can have extra canals. If that is the case, I think you MAY be billed more. But if there are no extra canals, I would fight it. The good thing with insurance is that they are a designated provided for a certain insurance company then you only have to pay what the copay amount is, and that dentist must take that as payment in full. Atleast if your dental insurance is an DHMO.
Reply:There's Dr. Sam, beating me by 17 minutes to provide a witty and maybe even helpful answer.