Dental Costs Without Insurance in Canada: 2026 Fees by Province

Without dental insurance, a routine check-up costs about $230 to $395 in Canada at the fees dentists’ associations suggest for 2026. A root canal and a crown on one back tooth run about $2,100 to $2,600, plus the dental lab’s bill. Those are the published 2026 fees in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the five provinces whose current fee guides anyone can open.

Statistics Canada found that only 64% of Canadians 12 and older have dental insurance (opens in a new tab), and that 45% of those without it had avoided an oral health professional because of the cost (opens in a new tab) at least once in the past year.

How much does a dental check-up cost without insurance?

A check-up is usually four charges: the exam, the scaling (the cleaning, billed in 15-minute units), a polish and bitewing X-rays. At 2026 suggested fees, a recall exam, two units of scaling, a polish and two X-rays come to $229.00 in Nova Scotia, $244.80 in BC, $270 to $324 in Quebec, $306.16 in New Brunswick and $393.20 in Alberta.

These are the general dentists’ fees in each association’s 2026 public guide: the BC Dental Association (opens in a new tab), the Alberta Dental Association (opens in a new tab), Quebec’s dentists’ association (ACDQ) (in French) (opens in a new tab), the New Brunswick Dental Society (opens in a new tab) and the Nova Scotia Dental Association (opens in a new tab). Quebec’s guide gives the recall exam as a range and includes X-rays in the exam fee, and its polish fee covers the whole mouth. Nova Scotia’s guide gives the price of one unit of scaling ($56.00) and a single price for two X-ray images.

Scaling is what changes the total most. It’s billed by time, so if your teeth need three or four units, each extra one adds $56.00 in Nova Scotia, $60.50 in BC, $74.12 in New Brunswick and $87.25 in Alberta, and in Quebec, three units cost $179 instead of $125. A first visit costs more too. A new patient’s complete exam is $134.00 to $150 in BC, Alberta, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, against $42.90 to $81.05 for a recall exam.

What do fillings, root canals and crowns cost?

At 2026 suggested fees, a tooth-coloured filling on two surfaces of a molar costs $260 to $329, and a root canal on a molar costs $1,128 to $1,366. A crown is $973 to $1,261 for the dentist’s work, and the dental lab bills separately for making it. Pulling a tooth costs $166 to $185.

The filling is a tooth-coloured (composite) filling on two surfaces of an adult molar, the root canal is for a tooth with three canals, and the extraction is one tooth that has come in, with no complications. The crown is porcelain or ceramic, except in Alberta and Nova Scotia, whose public guides list only a porcelain crown fused to metal. All five guides mark the crown with “[L]” or ”+ L”, which means the lab’s fee is added.

Why your dentist’s price can be different

The guides suggest fees, and nobody has to follow them. The BC Dental Association (opens in a new tab) says dentists “are not required to follow the guide or any fee schedule”, and the Alberta Dental Association (opens in a new tab) says each dentist sets their own fees. So before anything bigger than a check-up, ask the clinic for a written estimate that lists the code and fee for each item. You can compare it with the tables above, or with a second clinic’s estimate.

If your province doesn’t publish its guide

The Ontario Dental Association doesn’t post its guide online, but it says (opens in a new tab) print copies are in the reference section of many public libraries. We couldn’t find a public guide for Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador or the territories, and Prince Edward Island’s newest public one is from 2025. For those places, the Canadian Dental Care Plan’s own fee list, further down, gives the clearest public price for the same work.

How much do braces cost in Canada?

Braces aren’t in the general dentists’ guides above. For a published price, look to university clinics, which quote one price for the whole treatment: $4,200 at UBC’s graduate orthodontic clinic, and $4,350 for full braces (upper and lower) at Western University’s, plus a $350 records fee.

Treatment at these clinics takes longer. UBC (opens in a new tab) says its treatment takes two to three years, “longer than in private practice, because this is a learning institution”, and offers interest-free payment plans. Western (opens in a new tab) splits its fee into $1,200 up front and seven quarterly payments of $450, and its wait list before the first screening is about 18 to 24 months. A private orthodontist sets their own price, so ask what the total includes (records, retainers, follow-up visits) and how the payments are spread out.

Can the Canadian Dental Care Plan pay your dental bill?

If you don’t have dental insurance and your adjusted family net income is under $90,000, the Canadian Dental Care Plan (opens in a new tab) (CDCP) can pay part or all of a dentist’s bill. You (and your spouse, if you have one) also need to have filed last year’s tax return, and you have to confirm every year that you still don’t have private dental coverage. Coverage through a government program doesn’t count against you.

Your share of the plan’s fee depends on that income, according to the plan’s coverage page (opens in a new tab):

You can apply (opens in a new tab) online or by phone at 1-833-537-4342.

When the dentist charges more than the plan pays

The plan pays a set fee for each service, and the government says those fees “may not be the same as what providers charge”. When your dentist charges more, you pay the difference on top of your co-pay. In the government’s own example (opens in a new tab), a $145 charge against a $134 CDCP fee leaves you $11 to pay, plus your share of the $134. So before the appointment, ask the clinic which costs the plan won’t cover.

What the plan covers

Exams, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, root canals, extractions and complete dentures are covered. Crowns are covered for adults, but the plan has to approve each one first (your dentist sends the request, called a preauthorization). Braces aren’t covered. The plan’s benefits guide (opens in a new tab) says orthodontic services “are currently not available”.

What the plan pays in each province

The CDCP publishes its fee for each service in every province and territory. In BC, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, it pays less than the dentists’ suggested fee for every filling, root canal and extraction in the dental work table above. Where the association doesn’t post its guide, the plan’s fee is a starting point, and a private bill may be higher.

These are the general dentists’ fees in the CDCP’s 2026 dental benefit grids (opens in a new tab), in effect since April 1, 2026. Quebec’s grid uses Quebec’s own procedure codes for the same services.

Are university dental clinics cheaper?

Canada’s ten dental schools run clinics that treat the public, with students doing the work under supervision. UBC (opens in a new tab) says its general clinic charges “60% of what most family dentists charge”, and the University of Toronto, McGill, the University of Saskatchewan and the Université de Montréal also say their fees are reduced. Getting in can take a while, and UBC says its wait list can take several months. The University of Toronto, the Université de Montréal, the University of Alberta, the University of Manitoba and Dalhousie University also take CDCP patients.

• Vancouver: UBC (opens in a new tab)
• Edmonton: University of Alberta (opens in a new tab)
• Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan (opens in a new tab)
• Winnipeg: University of Manitoba (opens in a new tab)
• London, Ontario: Western University (opens in a new tab)
• Toronto: University of Toronto (opens in a new tab)
• Montreal: McGill (opens in a new tab) and the Université de Montréal (in French) (opens in a new tab)
• Quebec City: Université Laval (in French) (opens in a new tab)
• Halifax: Dalhousie University (opens in a new tab)

Can you claim dental bills on your taxes?

Yes. The CRA counts dental services (opens in a new tab) as medical expenses, but not purely cosmetic procedures. For 2026, you can claim the part of your medical expenses above $2,890 or 3% of your net income (opens in a new tab), whichever is less, and the federal credit is 14% (opens in a new tab) of that part. Your province adds its own credit on top.

Say your net income is $50,000 and you pay $2,700 for a root canal and crown in 2026. The threshold is $1,500 (3% of your income), so you can claim $1,200, which cuts your federal tax by $168. In Quebec, the provincial credit’s threshold is 3% of your family income (opens in a new tab), and a refundable credit (opens in a new tab) can add more for workers with a lower family income.

How much to put aside each month

Each target is rounded up from the highest 2026 fee in the five provinces with a public guide (two of Alberta’s check-ups, Quebec’s root canal, and Quebec’s root canal and crown before the lab), or from Western’s braces price with its records fee. The monthly amounts are straight division, with no interest added.

Keep the money in a savings account of its own, so it doesn’t get mixed in with what you spend each month. It’s short-term money, so it belongs somewhere its value can’t drop, not in investments. For a wider plan that covers more than the dentist, see our guide to building an emergency fund, and for everyday ways to free up the money, our guide to saving money in Canada.

Saving for dental work, with a chance to win every week

Unless it’s an emergency, dental work usually starts with a treatment plan and a price, and the appointment comes weeks or months later. Those weeks are when the dental fund gets built, and Lodavo gives you a reason to look forward to them. Connect the savings or chequing account you already use, and every $25 in it earns a free ticket in the weekly draw. At least $100 goes to a user every week, and you could win up to $10,000. Your money stays in your own account, ready for the bill.

Terms and conditions apply. No purchase necessary (alternate method of entry available). Skill-testing question required. Open to legal residents of Canada who are the age of majority. Odds depend on the number of eligible entries received. Full rules and odds at our contest rules.