At least one Red Deer dentist will follow through on the non-mandatory lower fees for common dental procedures.
Chad Aitken, a dentist at Vista Dental Care, said his clinic would follow the guidelines because it could encourage more visits to the dentist.
“It’s not cheap — it’s expensive to run a practice but it’s also expensive to get dental work done,” said Aitken.
On Wednesday, the provincial government with the Alberta Dental Association and College released a new non-mandatory fee guide, which recommends a 8.5 per cent price decrease in dental fees for cleanings, fillings and other procedures starting New Year’s Day.
The reduction in fee applies to some 60 common dental procedures.
Aitken said teeth cleaning and preventative service fee reduction would have an impact on his practice but not an alarming one.
“It’s not a huge decrease but when you add that up to every patient, everyday, all year long, it’s a decent amount,” he said.
But there’s an upside.
“If it would mean more people are coming in then it makes up for it. You can charge more or do more,” said Aitken.
Dentist Jas Sandhu from Saby Dental in Red Deer would not say whether or not his office will lower its fees according to the guide.
“But it’s good to have the guideline to give us an idea as to where those fees should be around,” said Sandhu.
Albertans pay more for certain dental procedures than most provinces, according to a provincial review in 2016 and the fee guidelines would empower them to strike a conversation with their dentists about the costs of services.
Aitken couldn’t agree more. He said families often struggle with fees and it’s definitely a huge expense for them.
However, he would like to point out a bigger problem. He said insurance maximums — the amount insurance companies pay annually — hasn’t changed.
He said most plans he comes across are $1,500 to $2,000 and some are as low as $600.
“Dental fees have gone up keeping in line with inflation but insurance maximums haven’t,” he said.
Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health said the provincial government is making sure dental health is affordable and transparent in Alberta.
“I’ve heard from seniors and parents worried about creeping costs and the affordability of dental care,” said Hoffman.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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