Cracked tooth repair cost: bonding, crown, root canal or extraction

What decides the price

There’s no single price for a cracked tooth. The bill depends on the kind of crack and how deep it goes, and only an exam can tell you that. Cracks can be hard to find, so it may take more than one look.

A crack doesn’t heal on its own. The AAE says an untreated cracked tooth usually gets worse and can be lost, so waiting tends to move you from a cheaper fix toward a more expensive one. If you’re not sure it’s a crack yet, start with cracked tooth: signs and what to do.

Which crack gets which repair

The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) sorts cracks into five kinds. Here’s how each one is usually treated.

Type of crack	What it is	Usual treatment
Craze lines	Tiny lines in the outer enamel only	Nothing, unless you don’t like the look
Fractured cusp	A piece of the chewing surface breaks off, often around a filling	A new filling or a crown
Cracked tooth	A crack running from the chewing surface down toward the root	A root canal and a crown if the crack reaches the pulp (nerve); extraction if it runs below the gum line
Split tooth	A crack that has divided the tooth into separate pieces	Can’t be saved whole; part of it sometimes can
Vertical root fracture	A crack that starts in the root and runs up	Often extraction; sometimes surgery that removes the cracked part to save the rest

For small chips and cracks, a dentist may use bonding instead: tooth-colored resin that fills the crack or rebuilds a small missing piece. Cleveland Clinic describes bonding as filling cracks with tooth-colored resin, and a crown as a cap fitted over the cracked tooth.

What each repair costs

National ranges without insurance, from the sources below. Your price may be higher or lower.

Treatment	Low	High	Source
Bonding, per tooth	$288	$915	CareCredit
Crown, porcelain	$915	$3,254	CareCredit
Crown, porcelain and metal	$770	$2,454	CareCredit
Root canal, premolar	$691	$1,827	CareCredit
Root canal, molar	$833	$2,171	CareCredit
Extraction, simple	$150	$310	Delta Dental
Extraction, surgical	$260	$460	Delta Dental

CareCredit’s figures come from national surveys of dental fees done for CareCredit; its bonding average is about $431 and its porcelain crown average about $1,399. Delta Dental’s extraction figures are out-of-network prices from its 2024 internal data.

A few ways the pieces add up:

• Small crack or chip: bonding alone. CareCredit says bonding can be done in one visit.
• Cracked tooth, nerve healthy: often a crown. Your dentist may build up the tooth underneath first.
• Crack into the nerve: a root canal plus a crown. For a molar, adding CareCredit’s molar root canal range to its crown ranges gives about $1,600 to $5,400. That’s our sum of two published ranges, not a quoted price.
• Crack below the gum, or a split tooth: extraction, then a replacement if you want the gap filled. An implant or bridge costs far more than the extraction. See dental implant cost.

For more detail on each treatment, see crown cost, root canal cost, tooth extraction cost and filling cost.

What else moves the price

• Which tooth. In CareCredit’s figures, a root canal on a molar costs more than one on a front tooth or premolar.
• Crown material. Porcelain usually costs more than porcelain fused to metal.
• Who does it. CareCredit notes root canal prices vary between general dentists and endodontists (root canal specialists). The AAE says endodontists specialize in saving cracked teeth.
• Extras. CareCredit’s crown prices don’t include the first office visit, and Delta Dental says exams, X-rays and sedation may cost extra. Ask whether a buildup under the crown is billed separately.
• Where you live. Prices vary by region.

Ask for a written estimate that lists every code and fee before any work starts. If you need a dentist, Opencare lets you search and book online.

How to pay less

1. Don’t wait for it to get cheaper. A crack that grows can turn a crown into a root canal and a crown, or an extraction.
2. Ask about the lower-cost option. For a fractured cusp, the AAE lists a new filling as one option instead of a crown. Ask whether that fits your tooth, and what the trade-off is.
3. Try a dental savings plan. If you don’t have insurance, a dental savings plan (a discount membership, not insurance) can lower the price at participating dentists, and it can usually be used within days of signing up.
4. Run the numbers. The dental cost estimator adds up typical ranges for the treatments you’ve been quoted.

How to keep it from happening again

A repaired tooth can crack again, and so can its neighbors.

• Don’t chew ice, unpopped popcorn kernels or pens.
• Wear a mouth guard for contact sports.
• If you grind or clench in your sleep, the AAE suggests asking your dentist about a mouthguard. See custom vs over-the-counter night guards.
• Keep up with checkups, so small cracks get found while bonding or a filling still works.