Visiting a dentist could cost you less come January 2018.
The Alberta Dental Association and College in conjunction with the Alberta Government released a new fee guide last Wednesday, detailing a recommended fee decrease in over 60 procedures. The fees are about 8.5 per cent lower than they were compared to 2016.
The college released a fee guide back in August, which suggested a decrease of 3 per cent. This proposal was strongly disapproved by Health Minister Sarah Hoffman. The new guide will be effective Jan 1.
“This is a great day for dental consumers, patients, and all Albertans,” Hoffman said in her announcement at a news conference at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.
Alberta has operated without a fee guide since 1997, and has one of the highest fees for dental procedures in Canada. According to the new guide, the cost of an oral exam for a new patient will be $72. The same procedure, by comparison, costs $43 in British Columbia. A government review last year revealed that dental procedures in Alberta can be up to 44 per cent higher than other provinces, with some procedures costing more than double.
The guide does not require dentists to comply exactly, meaning they are still free to set their own fees. “Looking at what happens in other provinces,” says Hoffman, “the vast majority of dentists are in line with the fee guide.” Hoffman says the guide is meant to be used as a tool for patients to compare fees from dentist to dentist.
Hoffman expects that it will take some time for dentists to adjust to the guide, as it has been 20 years since Alberta has had one.
