An apicoectomy costs £400–£1,200 privately in the UK and £150–£400 in Turkey, Hungary or Poland. But this is a small, single-visit procedure — and that changes the maths on whether flying abroad for it makes any sense at all.
An apicoectomy — also spelled apicectomy, and known clinically as root-end resection or periapical surgery — is the procedure used when a root canal has failed and infection persists at the tip of the root. The surgeon lifts a small flap of gum, removes the last few millimetres of the root along with the infected tissue, and seals the end of the root canal with a retrograde filling. It is the last option for saving a tooth before extraction.
It is also one of the most searched dental cost questions in the UK that has almost no clear pricing information behind it. This guide sets out what an apicoectomy actually costs on the NHS, privately in the UK and at dental clinics abroad — and then answers the harder question of whether travelling for it is a sensible decision.
An apicoectomy performed on the NHS in England falls under Band 3 treatment. The Band 3 charge is a fixed patient contribution that covers the course of treatment regardless of how many appointments it takes — check the current banding charge on the NHS website, as it is uprated most years. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate different charging systems. The practical obstacle is not the price but access: apicoectomies are usually referred to a specialist endodontist or an oral surgery department, and NHS referral waits for non-urgent endodontic surgery run into months in most areas.
Private apicoectomy fees in the UK typically fall in the following ranges:
Molars cost more because access is harder, the roots are more numerous, and the proximity of the maxillary sinus or the inferior alveolar nerve raises the technical demand. A specialist working under a surgical operating microscope charges more than a general dentist working without one — and the microscope is one of the factors most associated with higher success rates in the endodontic literature.
Indicative private prices at established clinics serving international patients:
The nominal saving looks large in percentage terms — 50% to 75% off UK private fees. In absolute terms it is £300–£800. That number is the whole argument, and it is why this procedure behaves differently from implants or full-arch work.
We publish cost comparisons for dozens of treatments, and this is one of the few where the arithmetic usually points the other way. Consider a realistic total:
Against a £300–£800 saving, the trip costs erase most or all of it before you have accounted for a single hour of your own time. And an apicoectomy carries a specific follow-up profile that makes distance genuinely awkward:
There are two situations where the maths reverses:
Before comparing countries, compare procedures. Your dentist may present a choice between saving the tooth with an apicoectomy and removing it and placing an implant. The cost profiles are very different:
Retaining a natural tooth is generally preferable where the tooth is restorable and the remaining root structure is sound. A repeat root canal treatment (endodontic retreatment) is also often attempted before surgery. Ask your dentist to explain in writing why an apicoectomy is being proposed rather than retreatment or extraction — the answer tells you a great deal about the quality of the assessment.
Swelling and bruising peak at 48–72 hours and settle over a week. Expect discomfort manageable with over-the-counter analgesia. Contact a dentist promptly if you develop increasing pain after day three, a discharging sinus, fever, or numbness that does not resolve — these are the signs that need assessment rather than patience.
The NHS will treat a genuine dental emergency on your return. It will not fund routine review of elective treatment carried out privately abroad, so budget for a UK private review appointment at 6 and 12 months as part of the true cost of treating abroad.
Privately, £400–£700 with a general dentist for a single-rooted tooth, £700–£1,000 with a specialist endodontist, and £900–£1,400 for a molar. Consultation, radiographs and any CBCT scan are usually charged separately. On the NHS in England it falls under the fixed Band 3 charge.
Typically £150–£420 in Turkey, Hungary, Poland or Czechia, which is 50–75% below UK private fees. In absolute terms the saving is around £300–£800 — usually less than the cost of the trip.
On its own, usually not. Flights, accommodation and time off tend to cancel out the saving, and the procedure needs suture removal within a week plus radiographic review at 6 and 12 months. It is worth it when the apicoectomy is added to a larger treatment plan you are already travelling for.
A root canal treats infection from inside the tooth, through the crown. An apicoectomy is surgical: the dentist accesses the tip of the root through the gum, removes the last few millimetres of root and the infected tissue, and seals the canal from the end. It is used when a root canal has already failed.
Where the tooth is restorable, retaining it is generally preferable. An apicoectomy costs £400–£1,400 privately in the UK against £2,000–£3,500 for extraction plus an implant and crown. Ask your dentist to set out in writing why surgery is proposed rather than root canal retreatment or extraction.
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