Dental Exam Cost in Ontario

There are different dental examinations; each has its focus and cost.

All costs in this article are according to the Ontario Dental Fee Guide 2024

Complete Dental Exam or New Patient Exam cost:

• Dental Examination and Diagnosis (Adult 13+) $178
• Dental Examination and Diagnosis (Kids 6-12 years) $133
• Dental Examination and Diagnosis (Toddlers 2-5 years) $90

Other types of dental examinations:

• Emergency Examination $157
• Specific Examination $157
• Recall Exam $43

Complete examinations are usually performed when you join a new practice or your last visit to the dentist was a very long time ago, generally over 12 months. When a complete examination is performed, the dentist will focus on these most common areas:

• Damaged, missing or decayed teeth.
• Early signs of cavities
• Condition of your gums, such as periodontal pockets, inflammation or other signs of gum disease (which can lead to tooth and bone loss) to see how previous dental work, such as root canals, fillings, and crowns, are holding up.
• Early signs of mouth or throat cancer, such as white lesions or blocked salivary glands
• other suspicious growths or cysts.
• Position of your teeth (e.g., spacing, bite).
• Signs that you clench or grind your teeth (a treatable problem that can cause headache or sore jaw and can, if serious, lead to hearing loss and tooth loss).
• Signs of bleeding or inflammation on your tongue and on the roof or floor of your mouth.
• The overall health and function of your temporomandibular joint (which joins the jaw to the skull), checking for signs of disorders that can cause pain or tenderness.
• The general condition of the bones in your face, jaw and around your mouth.

Emergency examinations are performed when the patient has pain in a specific mouth area. The dentist will focus on the affected area to diagnose and provide a solution to the pain.

Specific examinations are performed when the patient has no pain and is just concerned about a particular area of the mouth to get their dentist's recommendations or feedback. 

Recall Examination is a simple visual examination done by the dentist after a patient has completed a dental cleaning. The dentist will visually check the patient's mouth, discuss any concerns found by the hygienist, and answer any questions the patient might have. It can only be performed after a dental hygienist has performed a dental cleaning.

Dental X-rays are not included in the dental exam fee and have their own separate cost, but they are necessary to perform a dental examination. Without X-rays, it will be impossible to diagnose things the dentist cannot see inside your mouth, for example, between your teeth or under your gums.