Your Guide to Dental Insurance in Ontario
Your dental insurance options in Ontario, from provincial benefits to private plans
If you live in Ontario, you can get coverage for dental services through three primary avenues:
- Provincial coverage: The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) includes some coverage for certain oral surgeries performed in a hospital, but most dental care isn’t covered.
- Federal and provincial low-income dental programs: The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), Health Smiles Ontario, and the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP) all cover routine dental care, but eligibility is based on your income and age.
- Private health insurance: If you don’t qualify for government-sponsored dental coverage, you can purchase dental health benefits through a private health insurance company.
Nearly 1 in 3 Ontario residents have no dental insurance, including 60% of seniors aged 65 and older, according to Statistics Canada.
What dental services does OHIP cover?
Under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), the only oral health care services covered are certain dental surgeries performed in a hospital setting. Your dental surgery might be covered by OHIP if you:
- Have another medical condition that needs monitoring during your procedure
- Require a medically-necessary tooth removal
- Have a tumor that’s being removed
- Need reconstructive dental surgery
Routine dental work—from cleanings, checkups, and x-rays to fillings, extractions, and root canals—won’t be covered by OHIP.
How much does dental insurance cost in Ontario?
In Ontario, dental care provided to low-income residents through a federal or provincial health care plan is free. If your age and income qualify you for dental care through CDCP, OHIP, Health Smiles Ontario, or OSDCP, you receive your benefits free of charge.
If you don’t meet the eligibility requirements for federal or provincial dental insurance, a standalone dental care plan through a private insurance company could cost between $40 and $140/month or more, depending on the insurance provider and plan you select.
To give you a sense of how much you might pay for dental insurance in Ontario, the table below compares premiums for different age groups in Ontario under PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Dental Care plan.
* Average monthly premiums as of April 2025
According to Statistics Canada, the average Ontario household spent $583 on dental services in 2023. Buying a simple health insurance plan with dental coverage, like PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Dental Care option, could save you up to $466/year by swapping out those steep out-of-pocket dental bills for affordable premiums.
Top 5 best companies for private dental insurance in Ontario
Our top 5 insurers for dental coverage in Ontario include PolicyMe, GreenShield, Manulife, GMS, and Sun Life. Let’s take a deeper look into each one.
1. PolicyMe
Why it’s our top pick: PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Dental Care insurance plan offers the most comprehensive slate of covered dental services—from routine cleanings to major services like crowns and bridges—at the lowest price in our analysis of Canadian dental insurance plans.
Under the Dental Care plan, 80% of all basic preventative and restorative services are covered with no waiting period, subject to an annual maximum of $750 in year 1 and $900 in subsequent years. You’ll also get 60% reimbursement for comprehensive services like root canals and periodontal treatment, plus coverage for major services starting in year 3.
Premiums start at $59.69/month for adults aged 18–44 in Ontario.
If you’d like your dental insurance to come with a healthy helping of medical coverage for things like prescription drugs, paramedical services, and vision care, consider the Guaranteed Issue Classic plan, which includes the same dental coverage as the Dental Care plan. The Advanced Plan offers even more comprehensive dental benefits, including coverage for orthodontics starting in year 2.
2. GreenShield
Why it made our list: If you’re in search of low-cost dental insurance without a lot of bells and whistles, GreenShield’s ZONE 2 (Primary) plan might be a good fit. This guaranteed-acceptance plan pays for 80% of basic dental care and up to 80% of comprehensive services like root canals, periodontal treatment, and denture repair. You won’t have access to coverage for major services or for orthodontics, but the plan should cover the basics for most Canadian families.
If you need a little more coverage—say, for crowns or bridgework—or don’t want to wait three years to hit the maximum of 80% reimbursement for comprehensive care, GreenShield’s ZONE 3 (Basic) plan is a slightly more expensive alternative.
Premiums for the ZONE 2 (Primary) plan start at $88/month for adults aged 18–44 in Ontario.
3. Manulife
Why it made our list: Manulife has two dental insurance plans. DentalPlus Basic covers basic preventative dental services like routine cleanings, fillings, and select extractions, while DentalPlus Enhanced includes coverage for major restorative services and orthodontics. Both plans offer excellent coverage for dental care; the downside is that they both come with relatively high premiums.
Premiums start at $111.10/month for the DentalPlus Basic plan and $172.80/month for the DentalPlus Enhanced plan for adults aged 18–44 in Ontario.
4. GMS
Why it made our list: Dental care isn’t automatically included in GMS’s three tiers of private health insurance; instead, it’s available as an optional add-on to any of the three plans. We’ve chosen the OmniPlan—which includes robust coverage for paramedical services, vision care, and other common health expenses—as the best value, but you can tweak your coverage to meet your family’s needs with a wide range of optional add-ons.
For instance, if you’re only in search of dental insurance with bare-bones coverage for other types of care, the Basic Plan starts as low as $9.75/month for single applicants and $14/month for couples. But the added benefits of the ExtendaPlan and OmniPlan, like coverage for hearing aids, diabetic supplies, and blood pressure monitors, may add value for many Canadians—especially seniors.
Premiums for the Dental Care add-on range from $69.25/month for adults under 35 to $76.75/month for seniors aged 80+. Premiums for the OmniPlan start at $62.00/month.
5. Sun Life
Why it made our list: Sun Life’s plans aren’t the cheapest, and you can’t buy a standalone dental insurance plan; you can only add dental coverage to a personal health insurance plan. If you’re already happy with your current health coverage and just want to find better dental insurance, Sun Life’s options may not be right for you.
But Sun Life’s Enhanced Plan offers one of the most comprehensive dental coverage packages in the industry, on top of robust health insurance coverage. Under this plan, you’ll get coverage for things other plans may not include, like dentures and orthodontics (though coverage caps and waiting periods may apply).
Premiums start at $239.35/month for adults aged 18–44 in Ontario.
How to choose the right dental insurance plan in Ontario
Picking the best dental coverage in Ontario involves a ton of variables, which change from person to person. Here’s how to get started:
- Check your eligibility for government programs: Ontario residents have access to several income-based dental health care programs through the federal and provincial governments, but you’ll need to check if you qualify. You may need your tax return from the previous year to calculate your eligibility for these programs.
- Take stock of your current dental spending: How much do you spend each year on routine care like cleanings, fluorides, and checkups for yourself and other members of your household?
- Evaluate the cost of future services: Have you been told that you’ll likely need major dental work in the future? Try to estimate the cost of future services, such as bridgework, dentures, or orthodontics, that your or your household members may need.
- Calculate your dental insurance gap: Add up your current and predicted dental spending to get an estimate of what you’ll pay in the next year for oral health care services. Divide that number by 12 to find your dental insurance gap.
- Research dental insurance plans: You can use the plans recommended above as a starting point, research online, or talk to family and friends about their coverage. Look for plans with the best fit of coverage for the service you actually use (or plan to in the future) — and be careful to check any applicable waiting periods, co-payments, and exclusions.
- Request quotes: Once you’ve found the plans with the best match for your needs, request dental insurance quotes and compare the monthly cost of insurance with the coverage gap you calculated earlier.
No single dental insurance plan is right for every person in Ontario. Take the time to review your household’s dental insurance needs or work with a licensed insurance advisor to narrow down your best fit.