BRUSH UP ON VALUE
High-priced dental work has long been a pain for Albertans, but some relief may be on the way. Health Minister Sarah Hoffman and the Alberta Dental Association and College have agreed on a new fee guide that recommends dropping prices on 60 common procedures by 8.5 per cent.
It may sound modest, but that’s nearly triple the three-per-cent reduction the dentists’ group initially called for when it released an earlier version of the fee guide in August.
It was Alberta’s first set of suggested fees in 20 years, but it went over like a rotten molar for Hoffman, who complained that the minimal reductions didn’t help patients facing some of the highest and fastest growing prices in the country. A 2016 review found Albertans pay prices as much as 44 per cent higher on some procedures.
This time around, the minister is smiling. The new fee guide, which takes effect Jan. 1, still doesn’t mandate lower prices, but Hoffman said consumers can use its recommendations as a tool to compare prices among various practices, or to pressure dentists to lower their rates.
Since the dental association quit publishing a fee guide in 1997, Albertans have had no easy way of knowing how much dental care should cost and prices can vary widely for procedures between practices.
The government and dental association say that other provinces have seen most dentists align with their provincial fee guides. However, it remains to be seen how much prices will actually fall as Alberta’s market adapts.
Many dentists in Alberta say they face stiffer costs because sterilization standards are stricter, overhead is higher and staff are more expensive to hire in the province. The industry is also reportedly coping with a shortage of dental assistants.
There’s also the question of whether the fee guide will actually backfire on patients. Will employer-sponsored dental insurance start reimbursing only the recommended fees, even if many dentists charge more?
In the end, any downward pressure to bring prices more in line with those paid by other Canadians is a good step. Now, it’s up to Albertans to do their part as savvy patients and actually make use of the guide to shop around for the best prices or ask their dentists to justify fees that are significantly higher than the guide suggests.
Comparison shopping is what consumers do when looking for car repairs or buying groceries. It’s time to do the same for something as important and expensive as good oral health.