Keeping your teeth and gums clean isn’t just important for maintaining a happy and healthy smile. It’s important for maintaining your overall health. Poor oral health has been linked to serious medical conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. Proper care at home and routine trips to the dentist are critical to keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
General oral health care is not covered under publicly funded health care insurance, meaning that Canadians have to rely on private insurance, job-based insurance plans, government programs, or pay out of pocket to visit a dental health professional.
Out of pocket dental care is expensive for those without health insurance
According to the 2018 Statistics Canada Health Fact Sheet on Dental Care
- 22.4% of Canadians (roughly 6.8 million people) avoided visiting a dental professional due to cost
- females (24.1%) were more likely than males (20.6%) to report cost as a barrier
- Canadians with dental insurance were more likely to report visiting a dental professional in the past 12 months (82.5%) compared to those without insurance (60.5%)
- those with insurance were less likely to avoid going to a dental professional due to cost (13.7%) than those who did not have coverage (39.1%).
Foregoing the routine treatment you need, can lead to chronic tooth pain and serious oral health issues, and have a negative impact on your quality of life. That’s why putting dental insurance in place for yourself, and your family is important.
A Canada dental insurance plan can help you get the care you need
So how does dental insurance fit into good oral health? Dental plans pay for a portion of the cost associated with covered treatment, making it more affordable. With a dental insurance plan, you can
- Be better prepared to manage the costs of unexpected dental issues
- Have better access to the preventative care you need to keep your teeth healthy and beautiful
- Experience lower overall costs for dental care as a result of well-maintained oral health
- Save money by shifting the out-of-pocket burden of dental costs to an insurance plan
- Have greater peace of mind, knowing you have coverage for dental issues that may arise.
Is Dental Insurance too expensive?
It is often suggested that dental insurance coverage is too expensive for those already struggling to make ends meet. If that is your view, be sure to keep in mind the cost of emergency dental treatment for something as seemingly routine as a broken tooth. It can cost in the neighbourhood upwards of $1000 per tooth, depending on the treatment program and the materials used to build the replacement tooth. That is just the cost for a single dental emergency. Ongoing maintenance for more serious oral health issues is even more expensive.
There is no reason to expect a reversal in this trend of rising out-of-pocket health and dental care expenses in Canada any time soon. While it’s true that purchasing private health and dental insurance is an out-of-pocket expense, at the very least it is a fixed cost that can be factored into an annual or monthly budget for most families. When weighing the cost of dental insurance versus the cost of emergency treatment when finances are tight, thinking long-term is always the best strategy.
What dental care is covered?
You can choose the type of dental coverage you need which will cover a portion of dental costs covered per year for:
- Basic Dental
For routine oral health maintenance, this coverage includes dental check-ups, fillings, X-rays, and cleanings. - Comprehensive Basic
This coverage includes periodontal treatment of gums and mouth tissue including cleaning and scaling, endodontic root canal therapy, and denture cleaning and repairs. - Major Dental
Includes services to restore teeth including crowns, on lays, dentures, and bridgework. - Orthodontic Dental
Covers services to correct defects and straighten teeth including braces and retainers
Coverage for your Basic Dental care may be available as soon as your health insurance policy is in effect. Other dental coverage may have a waiting period – so check your policy before you book your dental appointment.
Dental Insurance takes care of other healthcare costs too
Your individual dental plan will provide a great range of other coverage for healthcare expenses such as
- durable medical equipment including 100% coverage for diabetic medical supplies like, needles and syringes, up to the yearly maximum benefit level (typically from $1000 to $3000 each year)
- vision care
- registered specialists and therapists including chiropractors, chiropodists, naturopaths, registered massage therapists, physiotherapists, acupuncturists and registered psychologist or psychotherapists
- homecare and nursing or personal support workers, therapists, and dieticians
- prosthetic appliances
- accidental dental and accidental death and dismemberment
- ambulance
- hearing aids
- travel medical insurance.
Together, the comprehensive range of benefits makes individual dental insurance a strong foundation for managing your healthcare expenses.
And more good news is that most dentists submit claims directly to the insurer for reimbursement. This means you will only have to show their benefit card to confirm coverage for the services provided — and won’t have to pay out of pocket for covered services, significantly reducing your costs.
Protect yourself today with Dental Insurance
Dental insurance plans are reasonably priced, so for a small cost you go a long way in taking care of your health. Coverage is available with no medical questions asked.
Go online at SBIS. You’ll find all the dental insurance answers you need in our Resources.
If you are comfortable choosing dental insurance services without the personal touch, we make that easy. You can get health insurance quotes, results, applications, and all things associated with your health insurance questions served up quickly and online at SBIS.
If you prefer a personal touch, simply give us a call Monday to Friday 8:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-800-667-0429 or 416-601-0429.
