Dental Insurance

Do you need personal health insurance to have dental insurance?

Yes, dental insurance is included in a basic personal health insurance plan. It’s also an optional addition to a standard or enhanced personal health insurance plan.  

With personal health insurance, you’ll get reimbursed for eligible health expenses. This includes dental, medical and other health-care expenses that aren’t fully covered (or covered at all) by your provincial or territorial healthcare plan. These can include :

• prescription drugs to treat a chronic or serious health condition, and
• practitioners like physiotherapists to promote wellness or help with injury recovery.

Learn more about personal health insurance.

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When will your dental coverage start?

It depends on your personal health insurance plan.  

If you’re approved for:  

• a basic personal health insurance plan, you’ll get 60% coverage for preventive dental care after just 3 months.  
• a standard personal health insurance plan, you’ll get 70% coverage for preventive dental care after just 3 months.  
• an enhanced personal health insurance plan, you’ll get 80% coverage for preventive dental care after just 3 months. You’ll also get 50% coverage for major restorative dental care after a 1-year waiting period. And, you’ll get 60% coverage for orthodontic services after a 2-year waiting period.  

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How do you know if you need dental insurance?

Everyone needs to go to the dentist on occasion. And, depending on how much dental work you need, the bill can put a dent in your finances.  That’s why it’s important to have enough coverage to help keep the cost of dental care at bay.  

It’s also very helpful to have your own dental coverage in case you lose your employee health benefits or don’t have access to a health insurance plan through an employer. 

For example, maybe you’re self-employed or a contract worker. Or maybe you’re about to retire, in which case you might lose your employee health benefits. In these situations, it helps to have your own coverage. This way, you won’t get stuck paying out-of-pocket for all your medical and dental expenses.   

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Are there other types of health insurance you may need?

There are three other types of health insurance to consider:  

1. Disability insurance, which replaces part of your income if you can’t work. 
2. Critical illness insurance, which provides a lump-sum benefit if you’re diagnosed with a covered illness. 
3. Long-term care insurance, which covers the cost of your care when you can’t perform two or more activities of daily living. Or, it can cover the cost of ongoing supervision because your cognitive abilities have declined due to age. 

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