What to ask before agreeing to dental treatment

Dentistry is the area where asking questions saves the most money, and where people ask the fewest. Part of that is the setting — it is hard to negotiate lying down — and part is a reasonable assumption that the price is simply the price. It is not.

Why quotes vary so much

Ontario publishes a suggested fee guide each year, but dentists are not obliged to follow it. Many charge above it, some below. That is why the same crown is quoted at strikingly different prices a few streets apart, and why comparing is reasonable rather than rude.

The questions to ask

1. Can I have the treatment plan in writing, with the procedure codes? The codes are what let you compare quotes and submit them to an insurer. A plan without them is difficult to check.
2. Do you follow the Ontario fee guide? A direct question with a direct answer.
3. What is urgent, and what can wait? Very often a plan mixes genuine urgency with work that could reasonably be staged over a year or two. Sequencing is frequently the difference between affordable and impossible.
4. What happens if I do nothing? Sometimes the honest answer is "it gets worse quickly and costs far more", which is useful. Sometimes it is "we watch it", which is equally useful.
5. Is there a less expensive option that is still sound? There often is, with a different lifespan. Being told the trade-off lets you choose it.
6. Can you submit a predetermination to my insurer? That tells you what will actually be covered before the work begins.
7. Do you offer a payment plan? Many practices do and few advertise it.

Before any of that

Check whether you qualify for the Canadian Dental Care Plan, or for Ontario Seniors Dental Care or Healthy Smiles Ontario. Free beats every negotiation on this page.

On not waiting

Dental problems are among the clearest cases where delay costs more than the treatment. A filling is cheaper than the root canal that replaces it once decay reaches the nerve, and a root canal with a crown is cheaper than an extraction and an implant. If cost is the reason you are putting it off, say so to the dentist — and if the answer does not help, that is what this site is for.

Sources

• Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario
• Ontario Dental Association — Fee guide
• Government of Canada — Canadian Dental Care Plan