Emergency Dental Costs in Ontario: ODA vs CDCP Fee Guide
Dental patients worry more about their emergency dental costs than the actual procedure in some provinces, especially Ontario. The Ontario Dental Association (ODA) and Canadian Dental Care Plan or CDCP fee guide are two documents that may help you understand dental costs.
Some practitioners and specialists use the ODA fee guide and the CDCP fee guide to determine their service costs. Let’s look at the emergency dentist cost framework under both.
What Is The ODA Fee Guide?
The Ontario Dental Association develops a fee guide every year to help regular and emergency dentists Canada set pricing for their treatments. It suggests a fee for:
Dental examinations (standard and emergency dental exam)
Preventive dentistry procedures (dental cleaning, fluoride treatment, etc)
Restorative dental treatment (teeth filling, dental crown, etc)
Endodontic treatment (root canal)
Periodontic treatment (bone and gum grafts)
Prosthodontics (dentures installation, dentures repair, dental implant bridge)
Oral surgery (tooth removal, dental implant, etc)
Orthodontics (Invisalign, retainers, etc)
General dental services (nitrous oxide sedation, oral conscious sedation, teeth whitening)
Dentists in Ontario can use the ODA fee guide Ontario 2025 to set the minimum or average costs of their procedures. Remember, no dental expert, including an emergency dentist, has a legal obligation to follow the ODA fee guide. This is why fee structures may vary significantly at different dental offices.
What Is The CDCP Fee Guide?
The Canadian Dental Care Plan is a federal insurance program that offers coverage to families with a total net income of $90,000 or less. Seniors, adults, and kids can enjoy dental care Canada under the CDCP.
Sun Life insurance agency oversees the Canadian Dental Care Plan on behalf of the government. It also launches a CDCP fee guide every year to help dental practitioners and specialists understand how much they should be charging a person with CDCP coverage for specific dental treatments. The CDCP fee guide Ontario 2025 includes pricing for the following categories:
Diagnostic services (oral examination, intraoral radiograph, emergency dental examination)
Preventive services (teeth polishing, fluoride treatment, etc)
Restorative dental treatment (dental caries, amalgam restoration, tooth crown)
Endodontic treatment (pulpectomy, root canal)
Periodontic treatment (oral disease management, dentures)
Adjunctive general services (conscious sedation, deep sedation)
If an emergency dentist in Ontario is offering an eligible service to a CDCP-covered patient, they must adhere to the fee guide. Your net income will determine whether your treatment will be covered fully or partially under the CDCP.
For example, you may be eligible for a 60% cost reduction under the federal government dental plan. This means the plan will cover 60% of the total cost mentioned in the CDCP fee guide for your eligible procedure. The remaining 40% should be paid by you.
How Much Does Emergency Dental Cost: ODA Vs CDCP Fee Guide
ODA and CDCP fee guides are extensive pricing structures that allow dentists to charge patients. The former is for all standard dental care Canada patients who may or may not have insurance.
Meanwhile, the CDCP fee guide Sunlife only applies to people who have coverage under the Canadian Dental Care Plan. For example, the Ontario Dental Association fee guide states an average range of $55 to $159 for an emergency dental exam.
The CDCP states that an emergency dental exam should cost a federal government plan covered patient $79.71 for adults and $95.65 for children. Let’s look at how much other emergency dental costs are under both guides.
Dentists may or may not adhere to the ODA fee guide Ontario 2025 because it is not mandatory to follow it. However, all participating dentists will be adhering to the CDCP dental fee guide.
How Much Does Dental Sedation Cost: ODA Fee Guide Vs CDCP Fee Guide
The Ontario Dental Association and Canadian Dental Care Plan fee guides cover anesthesia or dental sedation. Under the ODA fee guide, an emergency dentist can charge you $93 to $289 for oral conscious sedation or $124 to $298 for nitrous oxide sedation.
Meanwhile, nitrous oxide sedation costs $77 to $291 under the CDCP dental fee guide. Oral sedation cost for federal government dental plan patients is $79 to $294 in 2025.
The exact cost of sedation dentistry will depend on the duration of the procedure. If you require dental anesthesia for more than 120 minutes, the cost may exceed $300.
FAQs
Do Emergency Dental Appointments Cost More?
Emergency dental appointments can cost more than standard appointments at some dentists in Bridgeport. This is because faster and precise care has to be provided to an emergency dental patient.
Does CDCP Fee Guide Ontario 2025 Cover Dental Prevention Services?
Yes, the CDCP does cover dental prevention services, which is why the CDCP dental fee guide has a pricing structure for preventive procedures such as scaling, teeth polishing, and fluoride treatment.
Is There Free Dental Care Ontario For Adults?
There is no specific plan for free dental care Ontario for adults, but the closest thing to it is the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Some patients under the plan can receive 100% cost coverage for CDCP dental emergencies. This means you will technically receive free dental care Ontario for adults.
Does Emergency Dentists Refer To ODA Fee Guide Or CDCP Fee Guide?
ODA emergency rates are suggestive figures that an emergency dentist in Bridgeport may or may not use. Some dentists refer to the ODA fee guide to set their pricing structure. Meanwhile, all participating CDCP dentists must adhere to the government dental plan’s fee guide for eligible patients.
Where Can I Go For Emergency Dentistry?
You can go to KWC Dental in Bridgeport for emergency dental services such as a tooth exam, dental implants, dental crown repair, and sedation dentistry services. We adhere to the ODA emergency rates and the CDCP fee guide for our dental treatments.
Emergency Dentist Near Me: Let KWC Dental Offer You Emergency Dental Treatment Ontario
When getting emergency dental care Canada, it is essential to go to a qualified and licensed dentist who follows the ODA fee guide and the CDCP fee guide.
KWC Dental is a CDCP participant that offers all services covered under the government dental plan to patients in Bridgeport. Contact us today to set up an appointment with our emergency dentist.