Cases Where Root Canal Treatment for Cavities Is Not Covered by National Health Insurance

Root Canal Treatment Costs for Cavities

When Is It Not Covered by National Health Insurance?

Hello.

I am Kim Tae-hyung, Director of Blanche Dental Clinic.

When you finally gather the courage to visit the dentist and hear in the treatment room, “It looks like you may need root canal treatment,” does your heart sink?

Hearing that it might be painful is frightening, and it is hard to estimate how much it will cost.

To give you the conclusion first, root canal treatment itself is not automatically excluded from insurance coverage.

Depending on the treatment stage, some items are covered by insurance while others are not.

I will go through these questions one by one so that the things you could not bring yourself to ask in the treatment room can be clearly answered in this post. ^^

1. What is frightening is not the treatment, but not knowing how much it will cost..

Some people cannot come in because they are afraid that root canal treatment will be painful, but most of the people I have met had a slightly different reason.

They told me that the scariest part was lying back in the dental chair without knowing how much the bill would be.

It was not that they could not afford it; it was that they could not predict the cost. That uncertainty made them anxious.

Even before the consultation begins, quite a few people ask first, “Is this going to cost several hundred thousand won?”

Even as they ask, their expressions are already tense.

If you know just the information below, you will feel much less overwhelmed.

2. Root canal treatment costs for cavities are covered by national health insurance

Root canal treatment, commonly called nerve treatment, is a treatment covered by national health insurance.

There are no age restrictions, whether you are an adult or a child.

When you search online, you may find mixed answers saying that it is covered and that it is not, which can make things even more confusing.

There is a separate reason for this confusion. During treatment of a single tooth, covered and non-covered items are mixed together.

That is why the final amount you receive may appear to be the cost of root canal treatment.

If you would like to know more about the cost structure by item, I have organized it in detail in the post below. ^^

「Cases Where Root Canal Treatment Costs for Cavities Are and Are Not Covered by National Health Insurance」

3. The term “root canal treatment” means the tooth may still be saved

This is something I really want to emphasize.

Recommending root canal treatment does not mean that I am giving you bad news. It means that we are going to try to save the tooth instead of extracting it.

When a cavity reaches the nerve, inflammation continues inside the tooth.

Root canal treatment involves removing the infected nerve tissue, then filling the inside so the tooth can be used again.

However, a tooth with its nerve removed becomes hollow inside and is more vulnerable to chewing forces.

That is why it is usually protected with a crown, and this restorative stage is not covered by insurance.

The amount many people feel is “expensive” is actually often the cost of this part.

I often explain it as the cost of choosing to protect the tooth rather than lose it.

Not long ago, a patient came in believing that the tooth would have to be extracted.

After the examination, we decided to proceed with root canal treatment. As she got out of the chair, she smiled and said, “I thought you were going to pull it out.” I still remember her expression. Haha.

Of course, not every tooth can be treated this way.

That is why examining the tooth early can give you more options.

Please do not put it off, and I hope you can avoid pain.

4. If you have been putting it off, you do not need to blame yourself

Many people begin by apologizing for having delayed treatment for so long.

They were busy, afraid, and it did not hurt at the time. I do not consider that laziness.

However, please remember one thing. Cavities are much simpler to treat when they do not hurt than after they begin to cause pain.

In particular, cavities between the molars are difficult to notice on your own because they are not easily visible from the outside.

Even if you have no symptoms right now, checking which stage the cavity is at with a single X-ray is the least burdensome thing you can do today.

In closing

You do not have to make any decisions today. Just knowing what stage the cavity is in can help organize half of the situation.

Whatever the result, you will probably feel more at ease knowing than remaining unaware.

It is difficult to say exactly which stage your cavity is in or how far insurance coverage extends without examining it directly..

I hope this post helps you overcome your fear, visit the dentist, experience less pain, and ease your worries..!

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments or contact us by phone.

I will check them myself and give you an honest answer.

This was Blanche Dental Clinic in Gangnam. Thank you.

[Frequently Asked Questions]

Q. Is root canal treatment for cavities covered by national health insurance?

A. Root canal treatment itself is a treatment covered by national health insurance. There are no age restrictions.

Q. Then why does the cost feel so high?

A. This is because the restorative stage involving placement of a crown after root canal treatment is not covered by insurance. A substantial portion of the cost comes from this stage.

Q. Will I be unable to use my tooth after root canal treatment?

A. No. It is a treatment intended to preserve and use the natural tooth without extracting it.

Q. I am not in pain right now. Do I need an examination?

A. Cavities between the molars are often not visible, so checking them while there are no symptoms is less burdensome.