Medically reviewed by Dr. Abdullah Bashanfar, general dentist — Pearl Beads Dental Clinic, Al-Salamah, Jeddah. Last updated: 29 September 2026.
The answer in six lines
- No. Not every toothache needs a root canal — and a good deal of it is resolved with a filling or a cleaning session.
- Pain alone does not diagnose. What decides the treatment is the clinical examination and X-rays, and sometimes a nerve vitality test.
- Our prices are published: root canal treatment from SAR 650, fillings from SAR 300, and a cleaning session SAR 250 — excluding VAT.
- A back tooth usually needs a crown afterwards — SAR 1,700. Know that before you start, not after.
- Delay changes the bill, not just the pain. A tooth saved today for SAR 650 can end up extracted months later, with an implant starting at SAR 4,700 as the replacement.
- We do not promise a success rate. Root canal treatment succeeds in most cases, but a proportion need retreatment or surgery, and we say so before we begin.
What the type of pain tells you — before you read about treatment
Pain is not one thing, and the difference is the first thing a dentist asks about:
- A brief jolt with cold or sweet that stops when the trigger stops — usually sensitivity, shallow decay or gum recession. No root canal.
- Pain on biting one particular tooth — possibly a high filling, a crack, or inflammation in the gum around that tooth.
- Constant throbbing pain that wakes you at night, or pain that worsens with heat and eases with cold — this pattern is the closest to inflammation of the tooth pulp, which is what a root canal treats.
- Pain with swelling of the gum or face, a foul taste, or fever — an abscess. This does not wait for the next appointment.
- Pain around the wisdom teeth with recurrent swelling — the cause may be the tooth itself rather than its nerve.
And one important pattern that is not described as pain at all: a tooth that has darkened without hurting. That is usually a nerve that died quietly — and it needs assessment even though it does not hurt.
When a root canal is not necessary
This section exists because it saves you money and appointments:
- Decay that has not reached the nerve — a filling is enough, from SAR 300.
- Cold sensitivity after a cleaning or whitening — temporary, managed with a sensitivity toothpaste.
- Gum pain or tartar below the gum line — a cleaning session at SAR 250.
- A high filling catching in your bite — a simple adjustment, minutes.
- Sinus pressure — it mimics upper molar pain, and its treatment is not at the dentist.
- Wear at the neck of the tooth from aggressive brushing — restored, and the brushing technique corrected.
In all of these, anyone proposing a root canal straight away without X-rays and testing is proposing a procedure you may not need.
When you do need one
- Deep decay that has reached the tooth pulp.
- Constant throbbing or night pain that painkillers only mask temporarily.
- An abscess, swelling or a sinus tract at the root.
- A tooth whose nerve has died — with or without pain, visible on X-ray.
- A fracture or crack reaching the pulp.
- Recurrent decay under an old filling that has reached the nerve.
The numbers, plainly
- Root canal treatment: from SAR 650 (excluding VAT). The final price is set after examination and X-rays, and varies with the tooth and the number of canals: a front incisor is less complex than a multi-canal molar.
- Fillings, therapeutic and cosmetic: from SAR 300.
- Scaling and polishing: SAR 250.
- Zirconia and e.max crowns: SAR 1,700 — the crown a back tooth needs after a root canal.
- Examination and X-rays are free if you begin treatment in the same visit; otherwise SAR 150 with the specialist and SAR 100 with a general dentist.
- Root canal retreatment and apical surgery — no published price; their cost is set after examination and X-rays. Any figure given before your case is seen is an invented figure.
Why the crown afterwards is not an upsell
After a root canal the tooth loses part of its structure and becomes more prone to fracture under chewing forces — particularly back teeth. A fracture that reaches the root usually cannot be restored, so the tooth ends up extracted, and the replacement is an implant starting at SAR 4,700.
That is why we give you the cost of both steps on one sheet before we begin: the root canal plus the crown. And if the tooth is a front incisor with sound structure, a cosmetic filling may be enough without a crown — a decision the dentist makes, not a general rule.
Is a root canal painful?
Most of the fear of root canal treatment is inherited from a time when anaesthetics and instruments were weaker. The session is done under local anaesthetic, and most patients describe it as closer to a long filling. What actually hurts is the inflammation before treatment, not the treatment.
Afterwards there may be mild pain or tenderness on biting for a few days, managed with ordinary pain relief. Pain that increases after the third day rather than easing, or new swelling — contact us, do not wait for the next appointment.
What happens if you ignore it
The pain may settle on its own, and that is the most dangerous thing that can happen: its settling sometimes means the nerve has died, not that the tooth has healed. The bacteria remain and travel down to the root, appearing later as an abscess and sometimes as facial swelling that needs urgent care.
The practical difference in numbers: a tooth treated today from SAR 650 may, months later, need retreatment or apical surgery — and may be lost, making the replacement an implant from SAR 4,700. Delay saves nothing.
What we do not promise
We do not publish a success rate of our own, and we do not guarantee the tooth will last a set number of years. Root canal treatment succeeds in most cases, but a proportion need retreatment or apical surgery, and a smaller proportion end in extraction however well the treatment is done — particularly teeth with cracks or those that have lost much of their structure. We tell you before we begin if your case falls into that higher-risk group.
Questions our patients actually ask
How many sessions does it take?
One in many cases, two if there is active inflammation or an abscess that needs time to settle. Decided after the X-ray.
The pain went away on its own — should I cancel?
No. Pain going away does not mean the cause has gone, and it may mean the nerve has died. An X-ray distinguishes the two in minutes.
Is extraction not cheaper and easier?
Cheaper today, more expensive tomorrow. The gap left by an extraction affects the alignment of the neighbouring teeth and your bite, and replacing it starts at SAR 4,700 for an implant or involves a bridge that includes two healthy neighbours. We recommend extraction when the tooth cannot be saved, and we say so plainly.
Do I need an antibiotic?
Not always, and an antibiotic does not replace the treatment. It is prescribed when the infection is spreading or there are systemic symptoms, and the dentist decides — it is not something to buy over the counter for every toothache.
I have high blood pressure or diabetes. Does that affect the anaesthetic?
Tell us your medical history and medication before the session; the type and amount of anaesthetic are chosen accordingly, and we will coordinate with your treating doctor where needed.
And if I am pregnant?
Necessary root canal treatment is not postponed when there is inflammation or an abscess, and the second trimester is usually the most suitable window. Tell us which stage you are at before X-rays and before any medication.
Who will handle your case
It starts with an examination that separates pain a filling will fix from pain that needs a root canal — with X-rays. Anything beyond that — multiple canals, retreatment of a previous root canal, and apical surgery — is referred to the endodontic team at the clinic.
The clinic has worked in Al-Salamah, Jeddah since 2017, with five treatment rooms and specialists in periodontics, orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry, so if your case needs more than one discipline it does not leave the building. See root canal treatment, tooth-coloured fillings, or crowns and bridges.
Book an appointment
Examination and X-rays are free when you begin treatment in the same visit, and you leave with a written plan and its full cost. And if you have swelling or pain that will not settle, call rather than booking online — we will bring your appointment forward.
Pearl Beads Dental Clinic — Najmat Sari Building, 3rd floor, 6715 Sari Sub-Road, Al-Salamah, Jeddah 23436.
Hours: Saturday – Thursday, 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Closed Friday.
Phone: 053 071 1110