| Service | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 🇹🇷 Turkey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root canal treatment | from USD 67 | from USD 229 | from USD 96 |
| Root canal retreatment | from USD 78 | from USD 234 | from USD 94 |
| Relief of acute pain | from USD 24 | from USD 72 | from USD 35 |
| Consultation with CT scan | from USD 20 | from USD 114 | from USD 92 |
Prices in the “Ukraine” column come from MediUkraine’s partner clinics. The Czech Republic and Turkey columns show the lower bounds of prices published by clinics there (for Turkey, also the Turkish Dental Association’s recommended 2026 tariff), collected in August 2026 and converted to US dollars at the rate on the day of collection. A dash means we could not find a comparable published price. In any country, the final cost is set by the clinic after an examination.
Inside the tooth, beneath the enamel and dentine, there is a cavity containing the pulp, a tissue with blood vessels and nerves. Root canals run from it and end near the tip of the root. When decay, a crack or an injury lets bacteria in, the pulp first becomes inflamed and then dies, and the infection spreads beyond the root tip into the surrounding bone.
Endodontic treatment means removing the affected pulp, clearing infected tissue from the canals, shaping them and filling them tightly along their entire length. The aim is not to "kill the nerve" but to remove the space in which bacteria live and seal it off, so that the inflammation around the root subsides and the tooth can be kept and continue to function.
Indications for root canal treatment are acute and chronic pulpitis, pulp necrosis, apical periodontitis with a lesion at the root tip, a fistula on the gum, and a flare-up after old treatment. Canals are also treated electively: before prosthetic work when a tooth has to be reduced substantially, after an injury that has broken off part of the tooth and exposed the pulp, and sometimes with deep decay under an old filling.
The method has limits, and it is worth knowing them before you start. A tooth is not treated when it is broken down below the bone level and no tissue is left for a restoration, when there is a vertical root fracture, or when the tooth is loose because of bone loss around it. In such cases it is more honest to discuss extraction followed by prosthetic replacement or an implant than to attempt treatment that will take several visits and still end in extraction.
MediUkraine is a service that finds and coordinates treatment; it is not a clinic. We work with a partner clinic: Vidnova Dental Clinic in Lviv, 10 Ivana-Teodoziia Kurovtsia Street. We find a dentist with the right specialism, agree the date of your visit and support you throughout, including if you are travelling from abroad. The diagnosis and treatment approach are decided by the dentist after an in-person examination and an X-ray.
Travel. Ukrainian airspace is closed, so there are no commercial flights. Patients reach Lviv overland, most often from Poland: Rzeszów and Kraków airports are the usual entry points, with a train, bus or private transfer onward to the border and on to the city. Lviv is roughly 70 km from the Polish border, the shortest crossing of any Ukrainian city.
Visas. Citizens of the EU, the United Kingdom and the United States do not need a visa for short stays in Ukraine. Rules depend on your citizenship, so check your own before booking.
Safety, plainly. Ukraine is at war. Air raid alerts occur in Lviv, and an appointment can be interrupted by one. Several governments advise against travel to Ukraine, and while that advice stands, ordinary travel and medical insurance is often void — confirm your cover with your insurer before you commit to anything.
Language. MediUkraine handles correspondence, scheduling, the written treatment plan and the quote in English. The clinic's team communicates with international patients in English.
Payment. You pay the clinic directly. Our coordination service is free of charge for you.
More on travel, safety and insurance: Safety and travel.
Canal anatomy is more complex than the textbook diagram. A canal is rarely a straight tube: it curves, divides, gives off lateral branches and forms isthmuses between the main canals. In upper molars, the mesiobuccal root usually has a second canal, narrow and hidden under overhanging dentine, and in lower incisors a second canal occurs in roughly a third of teeth. Canals narrow and calcify with age, so in older patients finding an orifice can take several minutes under high magnification.
That is why endodontics needs a microscope, not just the dentist's experience. Magnification and coaxial light reveal colour transitions in the dentine, the grooves on the floor of the pulp chamber along which the orifices lie, tissue remnants in isthmuses and crack lines. This is not just about convenience: a missed, unfilled canal remains a reservoir of bacteria and is the most common cause of pain a year after a "treated" tooth and of the need for retreatment.
Cone beam CT makes visible what a periapical X-ray does not show. On a flat image the roots overlap one another, whereas the CT scan shows the number and curvature of the canals, an extra root, the size of the lesion at the root tip, and a perforation or an instrument fragment left from previous treatment. CT is not routine for everyone; it is ordered when the anatomy is atypical, the tooth has been treated before or the symptoms do not match the periapical X-ray.
Rubber dam isolation is mandatory, not optional. A latex or silicone sheet held on a clamp separates the tooth from the rest of the mouth: saliva and bacteria do not get into the canal, irrigation solution does not run onto the mucosa, and a small instrument cannot be swallowed or inhaled. Root canal work without a rubber dam goes against professional association guidelines, and if a clinic suggests making do with cotton rolls, ask why.
Shaping begins with a fine hand file, which the dentist uses to negotiate the canal and create a glide path. The working length is measured with an apex locator and checked on an X-ray: the instrument must stop at the apical constriction without going beyond the root tip. The canal is then shaped with nickel-titanium instruments, rotary or reciprocating. Nickel-titanium is flexible and follows the curve of the canal, whereas a stiff steel file straightens the canal and creates ledges, beyond which the root tip becomes unreachable.
It is irrigation, more than the instruments, that removes infection. The main solution is sodium hypochlorite: it dissolves organic remnants and acts where a file physically cannot reach, and such zones make up most of the canal. EDTA removes the smear layer after shaping, and chlorhexidine is used where indicated. The solutions are activated with ultrasound or special tips so that they penetrate the lateral branches, and this takes up a good part of the visit.
The number of visits depends on the diagnosis. Pulpitis with a vital pulp is often treated in a single appointment: the canal is only lightly infected, so there is no reason to prolong treatment. With pulp necrosis, a lesion at the root tip, a fistula or marked exudation, the canals are filled with calcium hydroxide for 7–14 days between visits: the alkaline environment suppresses the bacteria that remain in the dentinal tubules. Both approaches are evidence-based, and the dentist chooses according to the clinical picture.
The canal must be filled along its entire length, without voids. The main material is gutta-percha together with a sealer that fills the microscopic space between the gutta-percha point and the canal wall. Cold lateral condensation of gutta-percha remains a reliable standard, while warm vertical condensation reproduces complex, branching anatomy better. Bioceramic sealers are increasingly used: they are well tolerated by the tissues and set in a moist environment. A check X-ray is taken after filling; it is not a formality but a record of the work done.
Retreatment is more complex than initial treatment, and the price difference reflects this. First the restoration has to be taken apart or the crown removed, the post or post-and-core taken out, the old gutta-percha dissolved or hardened paste drilled out, a ledge bypassed, a canal that was missed last time found, and sometimes an instrument fragment retrieved with ultrasonic tips under the microscope. Each of these steps takes time and carries its own risk, and on top of that there is less tissue left in the tooth. That is why retreatment almost always means a longer visit or several visits.
Root canal treatment does not end with filling: a root-filled tooth is brittle and in most cases needs an onlay or a crown. Because of the access cavity and the removal of tissue the tooth loses stiffness, and sooner or later chewing pressure causes a fracture, often below the gum line, when the tooth can no longer be saved. That is why on molars and premolars the cusps are covered with a ceramic onlay or a crown, while on front teeth a composite restoration is sometimes enough. If inflammation persists despite properly treated canals, the next option to discuss is microsurgery (root-end resection); if the root has a vertical fracture, the tooth is extracted.
For a few days after the visit the tooth may react to biting: this is a normal reaction of the ligament around the root to instrumentation near the root tip. The discomfort is usually most noticeable on the first day and eases within 2–5 days; if needed, the dentist will recommend a standard dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. Do not chew on that side until the permanent restoration is in place.
Some symptoms should not wait until a scheduled check-up: pain that increases instead of easing, swelling of the cheek or gum, a raised temperature, an unpleasant taste from under the temporary filling, or the filling itself falling out. In these cases contact the clinic the same day: dealing with a problem early is usually simpler than putting it off for a week.
A temporary filling is designed to last weeks, not months: over time it wears and starts to let saliva, and bacteria with it, back into the freshly cleaned canals. Permanent restoration of the tooth is therefore planned within 2–4 weeks of the canals being filled. A good seal over the crown of the tooth matters as much for the long-term result as the quality of the canal work itself.
The result is judged from an X-ray, not by how it feels: a root-filled tooth does not hurt even when inflammation at the root tip continues. A lesion in the bone shrinks slowly: the first changes are visible after about 6 months, and full recovery of the bone tissue takes one to two years. Check X-rays are therefore taken at 6 and 12 months, and with a large lesion once more later on.
According to clinical studies, initial endodontic treatment carried out to protocol leads to healing in roughly 85–90% of cases, and retreatment less often. This is a statistic, not a promise: the prognosis for a particular tooth depends on the number of canals, how easy they are to negotiate, the size of the lesion and the amount of tissue preserved, and only a dentist can outline it after an examination and an X-ray.
Another expected change is colour. A root-filled tooth darkens over the years because breakdown products of tissue remain inside; in the smile zone this is addressed with internal bleaching or a restoration. How long such a tooth will last depends above all on the seal of the restoration, the distribution of load and how regularly you attend check-ups.
Step 1. Examination, X-ray and decision. The dentist takes the history of the tooth, checks the response to cold and to biting, and studies a periapical X-ray or a CT scan. This is where the key questions are answered: how many canals the tooth has and what shape they are, whether there is a lesion at the root tip, whether the tooth has been treated before, and whether it is worth treating at all rather than extracting. You see the image and receive a quote broken down by stage.
Step 2. Anaesthesia and rubber dam isolation. Pain relief comes first: with acute inflammation ordinary infiltration is sometimes not enough, so the dentist adds a nerve block or an intraligamentary technique and checks that the tooth really is numb. The tooth is then isolated with a rubber dam, and the canals are never opened without it: saliva does not get into the tooth, solutions do not run onto the mucosa, and a small instrument cannot be swallowed.
In total the visit lasts 1 to 2.5 hours: a single canal in an incisor takes less time, three or four canals in a molar noticeably more. Between anaesthesia with isolation and the final X-ray lies the main work: access to the pulp chamber and locating the orifices under the microscope, shaping the canals with nickel-titanium instruments while measuring the length with an apex locator, irrigation with sodium hypochlorite and filling with gutta-percha and sealer. No hospital stay is needed, you can return to your usual activities the same day, and the permanent restoration is planned as a separate visit.
The cycle starts with diagnostics and ends not with filling the canals but with a check X-ray a year later. Getting from the first appointment to a fully restored tooth usually takes between two weeks and a month and a half, depending on whether retreatment is needed and which restoration was chosen.
The shortest scenario is pulpitis with a vital pulp: diagnostics and the canal work in one visit, and the restoration a few days later. The longer scenario is pulp necrosis with a lesion at the root tip: the canals are then kept under calcium hydroxide for 7–14 days between visits, and the number of appointments rises to two or three. Retreatment almost always follows the longer scenario.
The prosthetic stage is a separate part of the cycle that should not be put off. An onlay or crown is planned within 2–4 weeks of the canals being filled: a temporary filling is not designed to last longer, and an unprotected root-filled tooth tends to break just when the patient decides to "leave it for now".
Part of the work can be done outside the trip. A consultation using existing X-rays is held remotely, the plan and quote are agreed in advance, and what remains on site are the clinical stages, with a known list and a known duration. Patients from abroad come for specific procedures, not to explore their options.
After that the cycle moves into monitoring: an examination and X-ray at 6 and 12 months, then routine hygiene every six months with a check of the restoration. A root-filled tooth does not signal trouble with pain, so it is the X-ray that shows whether the lesion is shrinking. If there is no progress, the dentist discusses retreatment or microsurgery rather than simply continuing to watch.
The best-known complication is instrument fracture in the canal. Nickel-titanium files work at the limit of metal fatigue, and in a narrow curved canal the tip can break off. The approach depends on the stage at which this happened: the fragment is retrieved with ultrasonic tips under the microscope, bypassed, or left in place and monitored. If the canal had already been cleaned, the prognosis usually does not worsen, so what matters most is that the patient is told and it is noted in the treatment record.
Perforation is a hole right through the wall or floor of the pulp chamber, which occurs while searching for calcified canals or removing old fillings. It is sealed with a bioceramic material such as MTA, and the sooner it is sealed, the better the prognosis. Magnification, an X-ray and a CT scan before a complex case reduce the risk, but it cannot be brought down to zero.
Rarer but documented complications include extrusion of filling material beyond the root tip and irrigation solution entering the tissues around it. The latter causes sharp pain and swelling, which settle within a few weeks under the dentist's supervision; this is why the concentration of the solution, the pressure on the syringe and the isolation are never treated as minor details. Temporary numbness of the lip after treatment of lower teeth can be linked to the closeness of the root tip to the inferior alveolar nerve.
Pain may persist or come back. In the first days this is expected, but pain that lasts more than two weeks or appears months later points to a problem: a missed canal, an underfilled section, a root fracture, or overloading of the tooth by the restoration. Such a situation needs to be investigated with an X-ray, not by trying one painkiller after another.
It is also important to understand the method's main limitation: a root-filled tooth is brittle. It loses some tissue when the access cavity is made and withstands lateral load less well, so without an onlay or a crown a fracture is a matter of time, and the fracture line often runs below the gum line. A vertical root fracture is a condition in which the tooth cannot be saved: no retreatment works here, and an honest conversation about extraction saves the patient both time and money.
Contraindications mostly concern not the procedure itself but the condition of the tooth and of the patient. Work is not started when the tooth is broken down below the bone level or has a vertical root fracture. Pregnancy, clotting disorders, taking anticoagulants or bisphosphonates, and allergies to anaesthetics and latex should be mentioned to the dentist before starting: during pregnancy planned stages are usually carried out in the second trimester, and X-rays are taken with a protective apron. The patient has the right to a second opinion: the X-rays, the treatment record and the quote stay with the patient and can be shown to another specialist before the tooth is opened.
📍 Lviv, Ukraine
A dental clinic in Lviv with a separate doctor for each field: oral surgery and implants, prosthodontics, restorative dentistry, endodontics under a microscope, periodontics, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry.
Canals can be curved, narrow and calcified, and some teeth have extra canals: in upper molars this is the second canal of the mesiobuccal root, and in lower incisors a second canal occurs in roughly a third of cases. Without magnification and directed light such a canal is easy to miss, and an unfilled canal remains a source of infection; it is most often what lies behind the need for retreatment. The microscope also helps the dentist see a root crack and an instrument fragment.
At MediUkraine's partner clinic, treatment of a single root canal costs from USD 67, retreatment of a previously filled canal from USD 78, relief of acute pain from USD 24 and a consultation with a CT scan from USD 20. The price is calculated per canal, so treating a molar with three or four canals costs more than treating an incisor. Restoration of the tooth after the canals are filled is paid for separately. Prices are indicative; the final figure is given by the dentist after an examination and an X-ray.
Not during treatment: the work is done under local anaesthesia, and you feel touch and vibration, but not pain. With acute inflammation a tooth is harder to numb, so the dentist adds a nerve block or an intraligamentary technique and checks sensitivity before starting work. After the visit, biting on the tooth may be unpleasant for a few days: this is a reaction of the ligament at the root tip, and it eases within 2–5 days. Increasing pain or swelling is a reason to contact the clinic the same day.
It depends on the diagnosis. Pulpitis with a vital pulp is often treated in a single appointment lasting 1 to 2.5 hours. With pulp necrosis, a lesion at the root tip or a fistula, the canals are filled with calcium hydroxide for 7–14 days between visits, and the number of appointments rises to two or three. Retreatment usually takes longer than initial treatment. The restoration, an onlay or a crown, is planned separately within 2–4 weeks of the canals being filled.
A root-filled tooth is brittle: it loses some tissue when access to the canals is created and withstands lateral load less well. On back teeth without cusp coverage a fracture is a matter of time, and the fracture line often runs below the gum line, after which the tooth can no longer be restored. That is why molars and premolars receive a ceramic onlay or a crown, while on front teeth a composite restoration is sometimes enough. The type of restoration is chosen by the dentist according to how much tissue remains.
Before treatment can begin, the previous work has to be undone: the crown or restoration removed, the post or post-and-core taken out, the old gutta-percha dissolved, a ledge bypassed, a missed canal found, and sometimes an instrument fragment retrieved. Each step takes time and carries its own risk, and less tissue remains in the tooth than there was originally. That is why retreatment takes longer, costs more and, statistically, ends in healing less often than initial treatment.
Sensitivity when biting for 2–5 days is expected, and if needed it is relieved with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory at a normal dose. Contact the clinic straight away if the pain is increasing, swelling of the cheek or gum has appeared, your temperature has risen, or the temporary filling has fallen out or there is an unpleasant taste from under it. Pain that lasts more than two weeks or returns months later is investigated with an X-ray: the cause may be a missed canal, an underfilled section or a root fracture.
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