Best Dental Insurance in Canada
Most dental insurance comparisons stop at whether a plan includes dental at all. That is the wrong altitude. Almost every health plan offers some dental, so the question that actually decides value is how far up the dental coverage ladder a plan climbs, and how much it pays on each rung. This guide ranks Canadian individual plans on exactly that, using the reimbursement percentages and annual maxima published in each plan’s own coverage documents.
We do not quote premiums, because they depend on your age and household. We do quote coverage maxima, because those are fixed features of each plan and they are the numbers that tell you whether a plan can absorb a crown, a denture or a course of braces.
The dental coverage ladder
Dental coverage is built in three rungs, and a plan is only as strong as the highest rung it reaches.
- Rung 1: Basic and preventive
- Checkups, cleanings, scaling, fillings and simple extractions. Reimbursed at the highest percentage, often 70 to 100 percent, behind the shortest waiting period. This is the rung you use most.
- Rung 2: Major and restorative
- Root canals, crowns, bridges, dentures and periodontics. Reimbursed lower, commonly 50 to 60 percent, behind a longer waiting period of a year or more, and often capped separately.
- Rung 3: Orthodontics
- Braces and aligners. Only the strongest plans reach this rung, with a long waiting period and a lifetime maximum rather than an annual one.
How we ranked
A plan earns its rank by how high it climbs the ladder first, then by how much it pays on each rung. A plan that reaches orthodontics outranks one that stops at major work, which in turn outranks one that covers only basic care. Within the same reach, we favour higher reimbursement percentages and larger annual maxima, since those are what you actually recover. We also note guaranteed-issue plans separately, because access without medical questions can matter more than raw depth when you are leaving a group plan.
The ranking
| Rank | Plan | Basic | Major | Orthodontics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alberta Blue Cross Blue Assured Premium | 90% basic and preventive | 60% extensive (crowns, bridges, implants), $2,000 yearly combined maximum from year two | 50% orthodontic, $2,500 lifetime |
| 2 | Sun Life Personal Health Insurance Enhanced (With Dental) | 80% preventive, $750 annual maximum | 50% restorative (endodontics, periodontics, crowns, dentures), $500 maximum | 60% orthodontic, $1,500 lifetime |
| 3 | Sun Life Health Coverage Choice Plan C (With Dental) | 80% preventive, up to $1,000 annual maximum from year two | 50% restorative (crowns, bridges, dentures), shares the $1,000 maximum | Not covered |
| 4 | Manulife FlexCare ComboPlus Enhanced | 100% of first $500 then 60%, $920 basic maximum | 60% major restorative from year two, combined $1,250 maximum | Not covered |
| 5 | Canada Life Freedom to Choose Select Elite (With Dental) | 80% routine, $1,000 per person | 50% major (crowns, bridges, dentures), $750 per person | Not covered |
1. Alberta Blue Cross Blue Assured Premium (Alberta Blue Cross). The only plan in this set that climbs the full ladder, reaching orthodontics and implants. If your household expects major or ortho dental, it is the deepest option.
2. Sun Life Personal Health Insurance Enhanced (With Dental) (Sun Life). A national plan that still reaches orthodontics, with strong preventive reimbursement and a recognized restorative tier. Best portable pick for families wanting ortho.
3. Sun Life Health Coverage Choice Plan C (With Dental) (Sun Life). A guaranteed-issue conversion plan with one of the higher combined preventive-plus-restorative maximums in the set, ideal when leaving a group plan.
4. Manulife FlexCare ComboPlus Enhanced (Manulife). The strongest basic-tier reimbursement here, paying the first $500 of routine work in full with a six-month recall, plus a major-restorative tier.
5. Canada Life Freedom to Choose Select Elite (With Dental) (Canada Life). A high routine maximum at $1,000 per person plus a separate major tier, a solid choice for heavy preventive and restorative use without ortho.
Shopping by province instead? Our dental insurance hub covers provincial public programs and local options, and you can estimate your own dental spend with the dental services calculator.
See your dental coverage priced for you
Coverage maxima are fixed, but the premium that buys them depends on your age and household. Get a quote to see what each rung costs for your situation, and check your likely claims first with the dental services calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the dental coverage ladder?
Dental plans are built in rungs. The bottom rung is basic and preventive care: checkups, cleanings, fillings, scaling and extractions, usually reimbursed at the highest percentage. The middle rung is major or restorative work: root canals, crowns, bridges, dentures and periodontics, typically reimbursed at a lower percentage and often behind a longer waiting period. The top rung is orthodontics, braces and aligners, which only the strongest plans include and usually carry a lifetime maximum. Ranking dental insurance means asking how far up that ladder a plan reaches and how much it pays on each rung.
Why is orthodontics so rarely covered?
Orthodontics is high-cost and elective for many people, so insurers treat it as the premium top rung. Plans that include it generally apply a long waiting period, often two years, reimburse at a moderate percentage like 50 to 60 percent, and cap the benefit with a lifetime maximum rather than an annual one. Among the plans we list, only a couple reach this rung at all, which is exactly why a family expecting braces should rank ortho coverage near the top of their checklist rather than assume any dental plan includes it.
Is a higher reimbursement percentage or a higher annual maximum more important?
It depends on the size of your claims. The reimbursement percentage matters most for frequent, smaller costs, since it sets how much of each routine cleaning or filling the plan pays. The annual maximum matters most for larger or clustered costs, because it caps your total recovery for the year regardless of percentage. Someone with steady preventive needs benefits from a high percentage; someone facing major work in a single year benefits from a high maximum. The best plans push both, which is what separates the top of our ranking from the middle.
Do dental plans have waiting periods?
Most do, and they vary by rung. Basic and preventive care often carries a short waiting period of around three months, while major restorative and orthodontic coverage commonly sits behind one to two years before benefits begin. This is designed to prevent someone from buying a plan only to claim an expensive procedure immediately. If you know you need work done soon, check the waiting period for that specific rung before you buy, because a plan that looks generous on paper may not pay for months.
Can I get strong dental coverage without medical questions?
Yes, through guaranteed-acceptance and guaranteed-issue plans, though the dental tiers on no-questions plans tend to sit lower on the ladder. Guaranteed-issue conversion plans, taken when you leave an employer group plan, can carry respectable restorative coverage if you apply inside the conversion window. Guaranteed-acceptance plans accept anyone but usually cap dental at the preventive and basic rungs. If passing underwriting is not an obstacle for you, a medically underwritten plan generally buys deeper dental for the same money.