Who pays for your dental work?

Ways to get dental care covered in Calgary, in plain language. Most people have more help than they think.

Guidelines checked October 24, 2026

Which one is yours?

Tap everything that fits you. We'll point to the plans worth checking.

Question 1A plan through work, school or family

If you have one, it comes first. Common ones in Calgary:

  • Your job, or your spouse's or parent's job
  • A union or trade plan
  • A student plan through SAIT, the University of Calgary, Mount Royal or Bow Valley
  • A health spending account
  • A plan you bought yourself
  • Veterans Affairs Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, or the federal public service plan

Two private plans? Both can pay, so bring both cards. A private plan can't be combined with the federal plan, and having one means you don't qualify for it.

Bring: your plan card, or the plan name with your group and ID numbers.

Question 2 · FederalCanadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)

You need all four

  • No access to dental insurance through work, a pension, a family member, a professional or student group, or a plan you bought. It counts even if you don't use it, turned it down, or it doesn't cover much.
  • Adjusted family net income under $90,000.
  • You (and your spouse or partner) filed taxes in Canada last year.
  • You're a Canadian resident for tax purposes.

Left a job with dental? Check box 45 on your T4 (box 015 on a pension T4A). A 2, 3, 4 or 5 means a plan was offered. If you apply when you had access, you can be removed from the plan and asked to pay back what it paid.

What you pay

Income under $70k0%
$70k to $79,99940%
$80k to $89,99960%

That share is of the plan's own fee list. A clinic's fee can be higher than the plan's, so ask what you'll owe before treatment, even at 0%.

What it won't cover

Implants, bridges, veneers, whitening and other cosmetic work, three-quarter crowns, inlays and onlays, night guards and mouth guards, TMJ appliances. Braces aren't available for now.

Approval first

Crowns (adults 18 and over; at most 4 in 10 years and 1 per tooth in 8 years), partial dentures, redoing an old root canal, and some sedation need approval before treatment. Not every request is approved.

Renewal

The plan year ends June 30. If you don't renew in time, care during the gap isn't paid back later. Renewal usually opens in the spring.

Apply: canada.ca, Canadian Dental Care Plan · 1-833-537-4342

Seniors 65+Alberta Dental Assistance for Seniors
  • 65 or older, living in Alberta at least 3 months, a citizen or permanent resident, with an active Alberta Seniors Benefit file.
  • For July 2026 to June 2027, based on 2025 total income: up to $32,690 single or $65,380 for a couple.
  • Up to $5,000 every 5 years for exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, gum treatment and basic dentures. Unused money doesn't carry over.
  • Not covered: crowns, bridges, implants, braces, fluoride, inlays, whitening and cosmetic work.
  • Also pays up to $230 every 3 years toward glasses or contacts.

Also on the federal plan? The federal plan pays first. Seniors dental may pay nothing more, and you can owe the difference.

Apply through Seniors Financial Assistance: 1-877-644-9992 · Claims: Alberta Blue Cross 1-800-661-6995

Lower-income familiesAlberta Child Health Benefit
  • Kids under 18, or 18 and 19 if living at home and in high school (they also need form AEHB3654).
  • Covers checkups, x-rays, cleanings and fillings.
  • Benefit year October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, based on 2025 net household income. Limits include: 1 adult + 1 child $26,023, 1 adult + 2 children $31,010, couple + 1 child $31,237, couple + 2 children $36,634, couple + 4 children $46,932. Add $4,973 for each child past four.
  • If your kids also qualify for the federal plan, it's billed first. You can't be charged extra for covered work.

Form AEHB3931 · Health Benefits Contact Centre 1-877-469-5437

Lower-income adultsAlberta Adult Health Benefit
  • For adults who are pregnant, have high ongoing prescription costs, or are leaving Income Support or AISH because of work, self-employment or CPP disability income.
  • Income limits for October 2026 to September 2027 (2025 income): single $16,580, couple with no children $23,212, 1 adult + 1 child $26,023, couple + 1 child $31,237.
  • Covers exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions and dentures.
  • With the federal plan too, it's billed first and you can't be charged extra for covered work.

Form AEHB3931 · 1-877-469-5437

Income Support & AISHYour Health Benefits Card
  • Covers basic dental: checkups, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, extractions and dentures. It can cover your spouse and kids too.
  • Most procedures need approval from Alberta Blue Cross first.
  • With the federal plan too, it's billed first and you can't be charged extra for covered work.

Questions: your caseworker, or 1-877-469-5437

First Nations & InuitNon-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)
  • For registered First Nations, recognized Inuit, and children under 2 whose parent is eligible.
  • Covers exams, cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, dentures, oral surgery and, for severe cases, braces (once in a lifetime).
  • A work or private plan pays first. If you also have the federal plan, NIHB is billed before it.
  • Crowns (18+), partial dentures and braces need approval first.

Bring: your registration number.

Refugees & claimantsInterim Federal Health Program (IFHP)
  • Federal coverage until you qualify for Alberta Health Care.
  • Covers urgent dental care only.
  • Since May 1, 2026, you pay 30% of the cost of covered dental care. The clinic should tell you the amount before treatment.
  • The dentist has to be registered with the program.

Bring: your IFHP certificate or document.

InjuriesHurt at work, in a crash, or needing hospital surgery
  • At work: report it to your employer and WCB Alberta. Most care needs WCB approval first, so ask before treatment.
  • Car crash: your auto insurance accident benefits can cover dental injuries. Call your insurer.
  • Hospital surgery: some oral surgery that has to be done in hospital is covered by Alberta Health Care. Your dentist or surgeon will tell you.
No coverage at allCalgary public health dental clinics
  • Run by Alberta Health Services for low-income people with no dental coverage of any kind. People with a group plan, the Child Health Benefit or seniors dental aren't eligible.
  • Reduced fees, about 20% of the Alberta fee guide.
  • Exams, x-rays, fillings, extractions and front-tooth root canals. Not crowns, bridges, dentures, braces, implants or back-tooth root canals.
  • Apply with an income form, your Notice of Assessment, and a letter from your employer or school about dental coverage. After a full course of care there's a 3-year wait, except emergencies.
  • Locations: Sheldon M. Chumir and Sunridge.

AHS public health dental, Calgary

Who pays first

Bring to your visit

Not sure which one is yours? Call us at 403-266-3100. Aviation Dental, 113-465 Aviation Rd NE, Calgary.

These are guidelines, not a promise of coverage. Programs change, often every July. Checked October 24, 2026 against canada.ca (CDCP), the CDCP Alberta fact sheet, Alberta seniors dental, Alberta Child Health Benefit, Alberta Adult Health Benefit, NIHB dental guide, IFHP co-payments and AHS.