One of our most frequently asked questions is "what is a dental fee guide and how does it affect my dental plan?" Each province and territory has its own dental fee guide. Every year the British Columbia Dental Association (BCDA) produces an annual suggested fee guide for dentists in BC. The document outlines over 1,400 dental codes and code descriptors related to specific elements of dental treatment. It also provides suggested fees that serve as a guide only; dentists are not required to follow the guide or any fee schedule.
This fee guide affects you, as an employee, in the following ways: insurance companies use these guides to help determine reimbursement limits for dental procedures; your dentist may raise their rates accordingly and, depending on your plan design, you may have to chip in more personally; you may hit your overall dental maximums a little sooner than the year before; it can play a part in how insurers determine your base dental premiums at renewal; if you pay for a portion of your benefits you'll see this amount adjusted on your pay stub. (Historically the average BC dental fee increase has run a few percent year over year.)
The guide is intended to provide British Columbians with information on common dental procedure codes and the suggested fees - for reference only.