How to save money at the dentist?

Why are dental fees so high in Canada?

Before we get to the money-saving tips at the dentist, we need to understand how the process works. Dental clinics operate like private mini-hospitals. Before having a patient, dental offices must pay:

rent or mortgage
amortization of thousands of dollars of equipment
the cost of materials
the cost of sterilization
employee wages and benefits
etc.

That’s exactly the same cost to run a hospital! However, instead of paying for the care through your taxes, you must pay the private facility directly.

Dentists do not receive government subsidies. However, there are many ways to save money at the dentist even when you don’t have insurance.

When the RAMQ was founded, dental care was mostly excluded except for some care for young people. However, over the years, the Quebec government has reduced the age range of children eligible for covered dental care (10 years less a day).

Save money at the dentist with prevention

When you ask around, you can see that the more the tooth is worn down, the more it costs to have it repaired. So, to save money at the dentist, you need to prevent problems before they occur.

In fact, treatment prices are correlated to the level of complexity of the work and the skills required to perform it.

Treatment	Price
Polishing a tooth	$25
Simple filling on a molar	$150
Root canal treatment on a molar	1,100 $
Replacing a missing tooth with an implant	5,000 $

The importance of oral hygiene

To save money at the dentist by preventing more serious procedures, dentists generally suggest between one and two exams + cleanings per year to detect:

cavities
gum disease
diseases and cancers of the mouth

When you invest in two additional exams per year and repair small cavities, you can save a lot of money in the long run. What better way to save money at the dentist than to not have to pay for treatment?

How does credit cards emergency medical insurance work? - Soins dentaire

Save money at the dentist with clinics that have no doctors?

Although there are clinics with only dental hygienists, the only person who is allowed to give you a diagnosis (decay, disease, etc.) is a dentist.

If there is no dentist on-site following the cleaning, you will need to make a second appointment with a dentist for an examination to get a clear picture of your oral health.

Finally, it should be known that treatments to straighten teeth (e.g. Invisalign braces) can be done at a very low cost. These treatments in clinics without dentists will be at your own risk. The treatment is not supervised in the same way, and if something goes wrong, it may cost you more which is counterproductive to the goal of saving money at the dentist.

How to save money at the dentist? - Santé dentaire

Save money at the dentist by getting treatment at universities

Dental students are often looking for patients for their internships. So, getting treatment at a university is a good option to save money at the dentist and have quality treatments at a lower cost.

However, it should be noted that time must be given: the student must be supervised at every step, so treatments will take longer than with an experienced dentist.

Again, you have to do your math since you will be saving money at the dentist at the university clinic, but you may have to miss several hours at work.

My mini world tour on 5 continents: the journey of two students - dentist 1639683 1920

Saving money at the dentist with dental insurance

Is it really a good idea to have insurance to save money at the dentist? The answer will depend on your situation, your coverage, and the cost!

Once again, we need to get out the calculator. Here is an illustrated example for a person who is not prone to cavities. This patient would have an annual bill of $450 for his two exams and cleanings (2 x $225).

Cost of insurance	600 ($50 per month)	– $600
Cost of care	$450	– $450
Insurance reimbursement	80 %	+ $360
Applicable deductible	$50	– $50
Actual cost of disbursements	– $740

In this example, this person should not have dental insurance and should cancel their policy if possible to save money at the dentist. Thus, this patient will pay $450 (without insurance) for this care instead of $740 (with insurance).

Talk to your dentist! Are you an individual with a high calorie risk? Look at your history; crowded with treatments at every appointment for years or a minor cavity or two here and there over the last decade?

In some cases, it’s smarter to open an account and deposit the cost of your insurance monthly; you build your own savings for your care. In addition, there is often interesting welcome offers when you open an account!

Saving money at the dentist by maximizing credit card rewards

Earn credit card points with our dental care

The vast majority of firms accept credit card payments and some even take American Express!

This is a great way to unlock an application bonus; for example, a 70,000 American Express Membership Rewards point bonus is minimally equivalent to $700 and is available through the American Express^® Gold Rewards Card after $3,000 in spending. A 23% return on your care is a great way to save money at the dentist! Most “major care” will not be done at the first appointment and you will have time to analyze your options.

The dentist will present you with a treatment plan and cost estimate. So you can plan those expenses with a credit card strategy using the best deals around! So, you can evaluate as you go, whether it’s for a big cash back or for travel points.

In fact, a dental bill could earn you enough Aeroplan points for a couple’s trip to Western Canada or the whole family to New York with the American Express^® Aeroplan^®* Card.

The same costs could also unlock up to 18 nights of Marriott Bonvoy hotels for a trip to Bali with the Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card.

When it comes to cash back cards, the CIBC Dividend^® Visa* Card currently offers 10% back or up to $250 as a bonus. Again, credit card rewards are a great way to save money at the dentist.

Then, during American Express’ Shop Small promotions, many dental clinics even qualify for the credit!

How to save money at the dentist? - Économiser chez le dentiste Shop Small 1

How to save money at the dentist? - Économiser chez le dentiste Shop Small

In short, regardless of your goal for credit card rewards, dental care should be considered in the point hunter’s accumulation strategy.

To stay on top of the best credit card offers, subscribe to our newsletter!

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
American Express^® Aeroplan^®* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 6 months Up to 45,000 points After $7,500 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare
Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months Up to 70,000 points After $3,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
American Express^® Gold Rewards Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$250	Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months Up to 60,000 points After $12,000 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
CIBC Dividend^® Visa Infinite* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$120 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 4 months Up to $250 cash back After $2,000 in 4 months	Apply NowCompare

How do you earn points when you have insurance?

Some dentists will go to your insurance company to claim the money owed. However, you have the right to ask to pay the bill yourself and to be reimbursed directly.

The association of dentists is fighting to establish this structure despite the interchange fees that dentists have to pay (in any case, they also accumulate a lot of points through the purchase of their supplies and through their operating costs as laboratories).

Thus, it will be possible to accumulate reward points easily and, above all, for free! What better way to save money at the dentist than to use insurance to earn points without having to pay for the purchases that unlocked those generous welcome bonuses?

In addition, most dental offices can forward the claim for you and you can receive reimbursement via direct deposit within 24-48 hours. Sometimes the deposit to the account is made while the transaction is still pending on the credit card!

How to save money at the dentist? - Économiser chez le dentiste 1

How to save money at the dentist? - Économiser chez le dentiste 2

Then, you can use those reward points as cash back to pay off your card balance. In this screenshot, I used my American Express Membership Rewards points to reimburse my expense.

How to save money at the dentist? - Économiser chez le dentiste Points privilèges

Credit Card Emergency Medical Insurance

Some credit cards offer emergency medical (EMS) coverage, but there are many dental exclusions.

In fact, credit card travel insurance does not provide coverage for teeth unless the treatment is the result of an accident or emergency. Then, the amount of coverage is minimal; it’s often limited to $500 per trip except in the case of a serious blow to the mouth where it can be up to $2,000.

Care such as a root canal is usually excluded from this type of insurance. It’s true that a toothache can come on suddenly and ruin your trip, but there are other procedures that can be done to ease your pain until you get home. So, if your plan to save money at the dentist was to use your travel insurance, this is not a good option.

Beware of dental tourism to save money at the dentist

The cost of dental treatment is very high in Canada and it can be tempting to get treatment abroad to save money at the dentist while on vacation, especially when our all-inclusive was paid for entirely with points!

However, you have to be careful, because it could be a low-quality treatment.

Quality of care and protection of the public

In every province in Canada, dentists are governed by a professional association. They must therefore provide quality care, keep up to date with training, and pass inspection for their work and office!

Of course, the work can be well done abroad and badly done here, but the difference is in the recourse available if the dentist is at fault.

What would you do if the dentist abroad removed the wrong tooth?

The importance of follow-up in case of complications

In most cases, people often turn to medical tourism to save money at the dentist on large, expensive treatments.

root canal treatment
crown
implant

In Canada, when a dentist performs treatment, he or she is obligated to follow up with you after the treatment. What would you do if your tooth is still hurting from the root canal treatment done in the South? Will you go back for follow-up? Redoing this treatment in Canada can be much more expensive if the work was done poorly in the South.

I suggest you watch this segment of the Radio-Canada program La Facture where the placement of implants in Mexico caused many problems for the patient. The latter wanted to save money at the dentist’s, but he ended up paying more in addition to all the inconvenience.

Your health and travel: vaccinations and other recommendations - Santé dentaire 2

Conclusion

Dental care can be very expensive, but when you put an emphasis on prevention and credit card point strategies, saving money at the dentist is very possible.

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American Express Cobalt^® Card

American Express Amex Membership Rewards

Annual fee: $191.88
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $255
Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months: Up to 15,000 points

The American Express Cobalt^® Card is a versatile American Express card, whether you want points for travel or cash back.

American Express Cobalt^® Card welcome offer

The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer valued at $255.

Earning the full bonus means $9,000 in net purchases spread across 12 monthly billing periods. This offer rewards steady monthly spending rather than one large purchase.

You can use these points as statement credits on everyday or travel purchases, at the same rate either way: 1,000 points = $10.

You can also transfer them to Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. With the full welcome bonus, that is a choice between:

15,000 Aeroplan points
15,000 Avios points
15,000 Flying Blue Miles
18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

American Express Cobalt^® Card benefits

Here is what the card gives you, starting with the benefits cardholders use most.

5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada: groceries, restaurants and bars, and home food delivery. A spend cap applies.
3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
2X points on eligible gas, public transit and ride sharing purchases in Canada.
1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
1X point per dollar on everything else, with no category restrictions.
Points that hold the same value either way: 1,000 points = $10 as a statement credit, or a 1:1 transfer to several airline and hotel loyalty programs.
No minimum income requirement, as with every American Express Canada card.
Additional cards at no extra cost: the first and every other supplementary card is $0.
The Hotel Collection: a room upgrade when available, 12pm check-in and late check-out when available, and up to $100 USD in hotel credit on amenities charged to the room for a stay of two or more consecutive nights, booked through American Express Travel.
Front Of The Line^® presale and reserved tickets for concerts and theatre performances, plus offers and events curated for cardmembers through Amex Experiences.
A soft credit check before you apply: you can see whether you will be approved with no impact to your credit score. This applies to American Express personal card applications.

The 5X categories and where they apply

The 5X rate is the reason most people carry this card. In Canada it covers three kinds of merchants:

Groceries: Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, Safeway, Whole Foods.
Restaurants and bars: sit-down meals, takeout and drinks.
Home food delivery.
Convenience stores (Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven): not part of 5X, 1 point per dollar.

The 2X rate covers gas stations such as Esso, Shell and Petro-Canada, along with public transit and ride sharing.

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	1
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1

That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.

You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.

American Express Cobalt^® Card insurance coverage

The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.

Travel insurance

Emergency medical: up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip.
Travel accident: accidental death and dismemberment of up to $250,000 for you, your spouse and dependent children under age 23 when travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and the tickets are charged to your card. Supplementary cardholders and their families are covered too.
Flight delay: up to $500 for necessary hotel, meal and sundry expenses bought within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no other transportation is available. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and delayed baggage coverage.
Delayed baggage: up to $500 for essential clothing and sundries bought within four days when your outbound luggage is delayed six hours or more. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and flight delay coverage.
Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per occurrence for all insured persons combined, for checked or carry-on baggage and personal effects in transit, when the airline tickets are charged to your card. Within that limit, jewellery is capped at $300 per occurrence and golf clubs, including golf bags, at $250 per occurrence.
Hotel and motel burglary: up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel or motel is burglarized, when the stay is charged to your card.

Rental car insurance

Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.

Mobile device insurance

Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.

Purchase protection and extended warranty

Eligible items charged to your card are insured against accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence for all items combined. The card also extends the original manufacturer’s warranty by up to one additional year on eligible items, with indemnification limited to $10,000 per insured item and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all items combined.

American Express Cobalt^® Card fees

Card fee: $15.99 per month, which equals $191.88 per year, for residents outside Quebec. Quebec residents are billed $191.88 per year.
Additional cards: $0.
Purchase interest rate: 21.99%.
Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%.
Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%.
Minimum income required: none.

Because the fee is billed monthly rather than in one annual charge, you can stop and restart the cost in step with how much you are actually using the card.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

Annual fee

Primary card$191.88

Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0

Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

5xRestaurants
5xGroceries
3xStreaming
2xTransit
2xGas
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,675

2nd Year Value$799

Transfer partners

AeroplanAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
Etihad GuestAirline
Flying BlueAirline
Hilton HonorsHotel
Marriott BonvoyHotel

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $500

Travel AccidentUp to $250,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionUp to $1,000 / 90 days

Extended Warranty+1 years

Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years

Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days