The ADA&C registers and regulates dental services across the province, but that work isn’t covered by the province’s health-care system and dentists are free to set their own rates. The fee guide is meant to be a tool for consumers to compare prices, increase transparency, and encourage communication between patients and dentists.

It is based on an independent economic survey of fees, including the averages and ranges of fees for each procedure, which showed that expenses for dental offices have increased, Croutze said.

The first dental fee guide in 20 years was released in 2017 after a government review found Alberta had the highest dental prices in the country. In November 2017, the ADA&C and then-Health Minister Sarah Hoffman agreed on a revised fee guide that called for an 8.5 per cent reduction in average prices for cleanings, fillings and other common services.

“The dentists of Alberta took a significant reduction of fees previously and this has had extremely deleterious effect on the sustainability of dentaloffices. An increase is required to maintain a healthy system that is sustainable and affords access to care,” said Croutze.

Those dental benefit providers who have decreased coverage but not their premiums could reflect on how they could alter their business model, he said.

“Efficiencies from dental benefit providers by decreasing premiums and increasing coverage is necessary to maintain affordable access to dental care in Alberta,” said Croutze.

Opposition NDP health critic David Shepherd warned that an increase in dental fees, a public health “no-man’s land” for which no one wants to take responsibility, is just going to be dumped onto families. And, while the provincial UCP government does not direct the ADA&C, Shepherd said the UCP government has “not been shy to interfere in places where it would be to their political advantage,” particularly when it comes to managing health care costs.

“It would be nice to see them take a similar interest in trying to keep costs down for Albertans, in speaking with these organizations whose costs may not directly flow to government, but it definitely impacts in the pocket books of Alberta families,” said Shepherd.

A government spokesman said that while the fee guide is not binding on dentists, it’s a good initiative that promotes transparency and helps make the market work better for consumers.

“Our dental fees are higher than in other provinces and our government urged the Alberta Dental Association and College not to increase fees in a tough economy where many families are in financial hardship. We do not dictate dentists’ fees and we respect their independence as self-employed professionals. We encourage Albertans to compare rates, and we encourage dentists to be transparent and consider the fee guide rates as maximums,” said Steve Buick, a spokesman for Health Minister Tyler Shandro, in a statement.

Anna Waller, manager of dental services at the non-profit Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS), where low-income individuals can get tooth extractions, fillings and replacements, said she worries that the increase in fees could result in even more poor oral health in Alberta, and an increase in demand for clinics like theirs.

“We know that people are already struggling to afford dental care in this province, and as a result we are seeing more and more mouths that are beyond restoration in our clinic,” said Waller in a written statement.