Dental Costs in Canada (2026)
Dental fees in Canada vary by province: in 2026 a recall exam runs about $41–$114 CAD, a molar root canal $900–$1,579, a ceramic crown $910–$1,449 + lab, and a complete single implant $3,000–$6,100. Ontario is the most expensive; Atlantic provinces are the cheapest. The CDCP covers many procedures — but not implants — and reimburses on its own fee schedule.
Estimate your CDCP out-of-pocket cost
The Canadian Dental Care Plan pays a percentage of its own established fees based on your net family income. Pick your province, income tier and procedure to see what is covered, whether pre-authorization is needed, and your estimated out-of-pocket cost.
CDCP Coverage & Out-of-Pocket Calculator
Province × income tier × procedure — 2026 figures in CAD
paymentsCDCP Coverage & Out-of-Pocket Estimate
The CDCP payment is its share of the 2024 CDCP Dental Benefit Grid fee for a general dentist ($844.05), not of the provincial guide. Your cost assumes your dentist bills the provincial fee shown; a higher bill adds to it. Laboratory fees are extra (not included in the grid fee).
The CDCP reimburses on its own established fees (the CDCP Dental Benefit Grids), which are often lower than a dentist's actual charge. Even at the 100% tier you may owe a balance if your dentist bills above the CDCP fee. Where we hold the CDCP grid (Alberta and British Columbia 2025, Ontario 2024), the estimate uses that grid fee; everywhere else it uses the provincial suggested-fee guide as a proxy, so your real out-of-pocket can be higher.
* Estimates based on 2025–2026 provincial suggested-fee guides (CAD). Actual costs vary by province and provider; figures flagged as estimates are modelled.
The CDCP reimburses on the CDCP Dental Benefit Grids, which are often lower than a dentist's actual charge. Even at the 100% tier you may owe a balance if your dentist bills above the CDCP fee. The estimate above uses the provincial suggested-fee guide as a proxy, so your real out-of-pocket can be higher.
Average dental costs in Canada by procedure (2026)
The chart and table below set every core procedure on one CAD scale, from a recall exam to a full implant. Ranges span the lowest provincial guide (typically PEI or Nova Scotia) to the highest (typically Ontario).
Low = cheapest province guide; High = most expensive (usually Ontario). Source: Real Dental Costs analysis. Alberta, NS, NB, PEI figures from the guides those associations publish for the public; Ontario from a practice republishing the ODA guide (July 2026, vintage not declared) — the ODA distributes no free guide. Provinces whose guide is members-only are not attributed.
| Procedure | Low (CAD) | Typical (CAD) | High (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recall exam | $41 | $58 | $114 |
| Scaling (per unit) | $50 | $65 | $87 |
| Composite filling (1 surface) | $150 | $205 | $257 |
| Simple extraction | $145 | $174 | $218 |
| Root canal (molar) | $900 | $1,194 | $1,579 |
| Complete denture (per arch) | $618 | $1,140 | $2,177 |
| Cast partial denture | $490 | $1,210 | $1,519 |
| Ceramic crown | $910 | $1,065 | $1,449 |
| Single implant (full) | $3,000 | $4,475 | $6,100 |
How the provinces rank
Each provincial dental association publishes its own annual suggested-fee guide — the Ontario Dental Association (ODA), the Association des chirurgiens dentistes du Québec (ACDQ), the British Columbia Dental Association (BCDA) and so on. The 2026 guides rose roughly 3–4% over 2025. On the composite of common procedures:
- Most expensive: Ontario, then Alberta and British Columbia.
- Mid-range: Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan.
- Least expensive: the Atlantic provinces — Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
Implants break the pattern because they are private (no provincial guide): Manitoba quotes the lowest full-implant range and Newfoundland the highest. See the full breakdown on our dental cost by province index.
What the CDCP changes
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP / RCSD in French) now helps eligible residents with net family income under $90,000 pay for many of these procedures. Key facts that drive your real cost:
- Income tiers: under $70,000 = 100% of the CDCP fee covered; $70,000–$79,999 = 60%; $80,000–$89,999 = 40%; $90,000+ = not eligible.
- Implants are excluded — the CDCP does not cover implants, implant-supported crowns or bone grafts at any income.
- Crowns and cast partials need pre-authorization; complete dentures and standard root canals usually do not.
- Balance billing: the CDCP pays its own fee, not your dentist's full charge, so a gap can remain even at 100%.
Our open dataset
Every figure on this page comes from our published, openly-licensed dataset. Download the full per-province table (CSV) or cite the record:
Cells modelled from neighbouring-province guides (where a guide is members-only) are flagged is_estimate in the data.
Explore by procedure & province
CDCP Coverage
What the Canadian Dental Care Plan does and doesn't cover.
Cost by Province
Compare all ten provinces, procedure by procedure.
Dental Insurance in Canada
Public CDCP vs private plans: eligibility, premiums and out-of-pocket.
En français
Coûts dentaires au Canada et couverture du RCSD.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dentist cost in Canada?
Which province has the cheapest dental care?
Does the Canadian Dental Care Plan cover the full cost?
Why are dental fees different by province?
Are these prices official?
Independent dental pricing research — figures verified against provincial suggested-fee guides (ODA, ACDQ, BCDA, etc.) and the CDCP coverage rules published on canada.ca. Pricing/market research, not medical or dental advice.