Dental fee guide introduced
Government says it will help bring patient costs in line, while some dentists are saying it will make it difficult to do business
For the first time since the 1990s, Alberta is getting a dental fee guide that will be a tool to bring costs more in line with other provinces, Alberta Health announced Wednesday.
The new Alberta dental fee guide suggests an average reduction of 8.5 per cent for 60 common dental procedures compared to prices in 2016, says Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman.
“It is a step that will give families and seniors confidence when they go to the dentist. It is also a step to brings costs more in line with other provinces,” said Hoffman.
The guide takes effect Jan. 1, 2018 and the complete guide will be available on the college’s public website.
While dentists are not obligated to follow the guide, other provinces have seen the vast majority of dentists align with their provincial dental fee guides, said Hoffman.
Dentists will still set their own fees but it is a way to compare prices, she explained.
The new dental fee guide will be a “reference point” and it will “enhance the public’s confidence in Alberta’s dentists to create a better understanding of the value of dentistry,” said Dr. Mintoo Basahti, president Alberta Dental Association and College.
It will give patients a reference point to question their dentist if prices are significantly more, said Dr. Chris Baba, Sun City Dental.
“The fees at our clinic, in almost every case, are already lower than fees in the 2018 fee guide but I can tell you that every dentist in the city will be closely examining their fees in relation to the fee guide,” said Baba. “My expectation is that it causes dentists who were charging significantly more than the fee guide, for certain procedures, to lower their prices.”
Hoffman rejected the idea of making the fee guide mandatory, saying it is not mandatory in any other province.
The fee guideline will not affect fees charged at Southside Dental, said Dr. Ron Witzke. Of the top 20 most common procedures, 12 go up a few dollars and eight go down a few dollars.
There may not have been a government fee guide since the 1990s but insurance companies have had a fee guide every year, said Witzke.
“Most dentists have followed along with those,” said Witzke.
The profit margin for dentists is much lower than it was a decade ago, said Baba, adding that the cost of doing business in Alberta is higher than in other provinces.
“Some of this is in part because of the regulatory environment that the government has placed on dentists and other healthcare professionals in Alberta in comparison to the regulations in other provinces,” said Baba. “There is no doubt in my mind that this fee guide will cause financial problems for several dentists in Medicine Hat.”
It will still be difficult for patients to shop around for dental services and compare prices, said Witzke. There are at least 200 different codes for fillings depending on the type of material, the surface and whether it is a front tooth .
Even a regular cleaning with the hygienist is difficult to quote on until the mouth is examined to determine with time it will take to remove the build-up, said Witzke. An honest conversation about the options and costs is key before agreeing to a procedure.
Preventative and ongoing dental health services should not be looked at as a commodity with patients having to shop around for the best deals, said Sandra Azocar, executive director Friends of Medicare.
The new fee guide recommendation does not remove cost barriers to dental services.
“We don’t believe your health needs end where your mouth begins, and cost barriers to good oral health should be removed,” said Azocar, who urged the Ministry of Health to include dental coverage to Alberta’s healthcare insurance plan.