Root canal or a dental implant?
Quick answer
Is it better to have a root canal or a dental implant?
If the tooth is restorable, root canal treatment is usually the better first choice: it keeps your natural root, costs £525–£775 at York House Dental Practice in West Byfleet depending on the tooth, and NHS clinical data shows around 9 in 10 root-treated teeth survive 10 years or longer when crowned.
A dental implant (from £2,500) is the excellent modern option when a tooth is cracked vertically, has failed previous treatment, or lacks the bone support to save.
| Root canal treatment | Dental implant | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at York House | £525–£775, plus a crown from £795 | From £2,500 including the crown |
| Your natural tooth | Kept — the root stays in the jawbone | Removed — replaced by a titanium root |
| Treatment time | 1–3 visits over a few weeks | 3–6 months including healing |
| Long-term outlook | About 9 in 10 survive 10 years or longer when crowned | High long-term success with good hygiene |
| Bone in the jaw | Stays stimulated by the natural root | Implant maintains bone where it is placed |
| Best for | Restorable teeth with infected or damaged pulp | Cracked, failed or unsaveable teeth |
When is root canal treatment the better choice?
Nothing engineered feels quite like your own tooth. The natural root sits in a ligament that lets your jaw sense bite pressure and keeps bone stimulated, so keeping it preserves what an implant must replace. Root canal cleans the infected tissue from inside the root, and a crown (from £795) then protects the tooth — read why the crown matters. If symptoms return after treatment, see root canal retreatment and other options.
When does a dental implant win?
An implant wins when saving the tooth is not realistic: vertical root fractures, deep decay to the bone, or advanced gum disease that has loosened the foundations. Planning is precise — a CBCT 3D scan (£125) maps the bone before any surgery, which is why CBCT imaging matters for implant cases. Nervous patients can have treatment under IV sedation (£195).
How do the costs and timelines compare?
Compare the whole journey, not just the headline fee. Root canal plus a crown typically totals £1,320–£1,570 over one to three visits; an implant from £2,500 takes three to six months of healing. Both need excellent hygiene to last — implants can still lose bone to gum disease. See the full implant treatment page or start with an endodontic consultation (£75).
Care at York House Dental Practice
Welcoming new patients, families and emergency appointments from West Byfleet, Woking, Weybridge, and across Surrey.
Last reviewed: by Dr Kaveet Patel, Principal Dentist
