Alberta Dental Fees vs What the CDCP Pays
If you are on the Canadian Dental Care Plan, the amount that decides your bill is the CDCP established fee — not what your dentist may reasonably charge. Across the codes we can match in Alberta, the CDCP sits on average 6.6% below the provincial reference, reaching 15.1% on a simple extraction and zero on a three-canal root canal. This page computes that gap code by code. Alberta is where we have matched both documents code by code at the same vintage, so this comparison needs no estimating.
The provincial reference points we compare against
Alberta reintroduced a dental fee guide in 2018 — its first in roughly two decades — and the initial recommended fees landed about 8.5% below prevailing 2016 rates. It has been republished annually since, effective January 1 to December 31. It is a suggestion, not a cap: a dentist may price above or below it.
The seven procedures below are the reference points our gap calculation uses, quoted as facts from the abbreviated edition the Alberta Dental Association publishes for the public. They are a small subset of a guide that runs to hundreds of codes — we cite the guide, we do not reproduce or redistribute it, and we link to the official source rather than re-hosting the document.
| Procedure | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recall exam01202 | $77.54 | $81.05 | +4.5 % |
| Cleaning / scaling (per unit)11111 | $83.51 | $87.25 | +4.5 % |
| Composite filling (1 surface)23111 | $166.47 | $173.95 | +4.5 % |
| Simple extraction71101 | $167.02 | $174.55 | +4.5 % |
| Root canal (molar)33131 | $1,296.32 | $1,354.65 | +4.5 % |
| Complete denture (per arch)51101 | $1,007.15 | $1,052.45 | +4.5 % |
| Ceramic crown27211 | $1,026.34 | $1,072.55 | +4.5 % |
The increase runs at roughly 4.5% across these codes — broadly uniform, which tells you the guide is indexed rather than re-derived procedure by procedure each year.
The number the guide does not give you
A suggested fee is what your dentist may charge. It is not what you pay, and it is not what a plan reimburses. If you are covered by the Canadian Dental Care Plan, the relevant amount is the CDCP established fee for your province — a different figure, in a different document, published by a different body.
Alberta is where we have matched both documents code by code, so this comparison rests on no estimate. Matched code by code, on the 2025 vintage of both documents:
| Code | Procedure | Alberta suggested fee | CDCP pays | You can be billed | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71101 | Simple extraction | $167.02 | $141.86 | $25.16 | 15.1 % |
| 51101 | Complete denture (per arch)+ lab fee | $1,007.15 | $909.03 | $98.12 | 9.7 % |
| 27211 | Ceramic crown+ lab fee | $1,026.34 | $957.10 | $69.24 | 6.7 % |
| 23111 | Composite filling (1 surface) | $166.47 | $155.95 | $10.52 | 6.3 % |
| 01202 | Recall exam | $77.54 | $73.85 | $3.69 | 4.8 % |
| 11111 | Cleaning / scaling (per unit) | $83.51 | $80.30 | $3.21 | 3.8 % |
| 33131 | Root canal (molar) | $1,296.32 | $1,296.32 | — | 0.0 % |
Two things worth taking away.
The gap is real but moderate — 6.6% on average, not the crisis figure that circulates on clinic websites. On routine work it is a few dollars: $3.69 on a recall exam, $3.21 on a unit of scaling.
But it is not uniform, and it concentrates exactly where the bills are large. A simple extraction carries a 15.1% gap. A complete denture carries $98.12 per arch, before laboratory fees are added. And on a three-canal molar root canal the gap is zero — the CDCP established fee and the Alberta suggested fee are both $1,296.32, matching to the cent. Whether the plan underpays depends entirely on the procedure, and the only way to know is to look up the code.
Three different guides, often confused
An Albertan looking at a bill can be dealing with three separate documents, and they do not carry the same amounts:
- The Alberta suggested fee guide (Alberta Dental Association) — what a general dentist may reasonably charge. The benchmark above.
- The CDCP Dental Benefit Grid (Sun Life, for the federal plan) — what the Canadian Dental Care Plan reimburses. Lower than the suggested guide on most codes, equal on a few.
- The Alberta Blue Cross fee guide — what that private insurer allows on its own plans, which is a third number again.
Which one governs your bill depends on who is paying. If you are self-pay, only the first is relevant. If you are on the CDCP, the second sets your reimbursement and the difference against your dentist's actual charge is yours. If you hold a private plan, its own schedule applies. Asking "which guide are you billing against?" is a legitimate question, and the answer changes the arithmetic.
How to use the guide on a real quote
The guide is only useful if your quote is expressed in the same units it is. That means procedure codes.
Ask your dentist which codes they will bill, then compare each one against the suggested fee for the current year. A quote at or near the guide is unremarkable. A quote meaningfully above it is not necessarily wrong — a dentist is free to price above the guide — but it is a fair thing to ask about, and it is the difference you will carry yourself if you are on the CDCP.
Two caveats on the public edition. It is abbreviated: it covers common procedures, and the complete guide is available to Alberta Dental Association members only, so an unusual procedure may simply not appear. And it applies to general dentists — specialist fees are set separately and are higher.
Related guides
CDCP Fee Guide
What the federal plan actually pays per procedure code, province by province.
Dental Costs in Alberta
What Albertans actually pay by procedure, in CAD.
When Your Dentist Charges More
Balance billing explained — what to ask before treatment.
Dental Costs by Province
How Alberta compares across the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Alberta dental fee guide?
Are Alberta dentists required to follow the fee guide?
How much did the Alberta fee guide rise in 2026?
Does the CDCP pay the Alberta suggested fee?
Why is my dentist charging more than the Alberta fee guide?
Where can I get the Alberta dental fee guide PDF?
Does Alberta have the highest dental fees in Canada?
Sources and method
Suggested fees are read from the Abbreviated Suggested Fee Guide for General Dentists published by the Alberta Dental Association for the public, 2025 and 2026 editions. CDCP amounts are read from the CDCP Dental Benefit Grid — General Practitioners and Specialists published by Sun Life as plan administrator, general dentist column, 2025 Alberta edition.
Amounts are extracted from the source PDFs by script rather than transcribed by hand. Procedure codes and dollar amounts are reproduced as facts; the descriptive wording of either publisher is not reproduced, and the procedure labels here are our own. We do not re-host either PDF and link to the official sources instead. The CDCP comparison uses the 2025 vintage on both sides — the 2026 CDCP Alberta grid is not compared against the 2026 suggested guide, because mixing vintages would inflate the gap by a year of fee inflation.
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.
This page provides pricing and market research information, NOT medical or dental advice. Real Dental Costs is an independent data publisher and is not affiliated with the Alberta Dental Association, the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, or Sun Life Financial. Suggested fees are revised annually — confirm current amounts with your provider.