SINGAPORE: When Mr Lee found out how much a root canal treatment would cost him, his first thought was to extract the tooth.
“It was so painful I had quite a bad headache," said Mr Lee."That’s when I realised to go and check.” Mr Lee took the advice and got his X-rays done at a neighbourhood clinic. The next day, he had his first root canal treatment at Royal Healthcare Medical Centre, a specialist clinic in Novena. But she did not, as there was no pain and she saw “no reason” to visit the dentist. It was only after many years when she started to feel discomfort that she decided to visit a dentist.While Ms Ho, who works at the National University of Singapore, did find it “a bit pricey”, she did not get the procedure done elsewhere as she had always gone to that dental clinic for her check-ups.
This does not include those referred to specialists for more complex cases or patients who opt out of the root canal, said the clinic’s founder, Dr Matthew Wong. He also pointed out that the equipment needed for the treatment is mostly single-use, adding to the cost. The estimated cost of root canal treatments and crowning paid by private patients at public institutions.