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Warning – Fraudulent Calls

Several persons have received fraudulent calls impersonating RAMQ. If you do not have a pending request with us or if the call seems suspicious, do not provide any personal information. Make a note of the agent’s name, end the conversation and call us. To find out more, refer to Our communication practices webpage.

Gouvernement du Québec
Régie de l’assurance maladie

Dental services

The Québec Health Insurance Plan covers certain services rendered by dentists and denturists participating in the public plan. This is also the case for dental hygienists who work independently. Children under age 10 and recipients of last-resort financial assistance may receive several services at no cost.

The Canadian Dental Care Plan may cover part of the cost of certain dental services. However, we do not manage this program. For further information on covered services and eligibility conditions, visit the federal government website.

Services covered

At hospitals, health insurance covers certain oral surgery services. Examinations, local or general anesthesia and x-rays related to a surgery are also covered. To benefit from these services free of charge, you must present a valid Health Insurance Card and, if applicable, your claim slip.

Tooth and root extraction is covered only for children under 10 years of age and for recipients of a financial assistance program with claim slip (carnet de réclamation).

Examples of oral surgery services covered in a hospital

  • Biopsy
  • Drainage of an abscess
  • Reduction of a fracture
  • Removal of a cyst or tumour
  • Repair of a soft tissue laceration (example: cheek, tongue or palate)
  • Treatment of osteitis (bone tissue inflammation)
  • Treatment of salivary glands
  • Treatment of the temporomandibular joint (which connects the jawbone to the skull)

Services covered for children under age 10

Children under age 10 receive the following services free of charge when the services are rendered by a dentist at a dental clinic or hospital:

  • Aesthetic material crown on primary anterior teeth
  • Annual examination and emergency examination
  • Fillings using esthetic materials in certain cases
  • Frectomy (removal of the tongue or lip frenulum)
  • Grey amalgam fillings on the premolar and molar teeth
  • Local or general anesthesia
  • Prefabricated crowns
  • Root canal treatment, apexification, pulpotomy, pulpectomy, and other endodontics treatment, such as emergency opening of the pulp chamber and sedative dressings
  • The oral surgery services covered in hospitals
  • Tooth and root extractions
  • X-rays

Root canal treatments and apexification are covered for permanent teeth. Pulpotomy and pulpectomy are covered only for the primary teeth. For the permanent teeth, pulpotomy is covered only under general anesthesia.

Services covered for recipients of a financial assistance program with claim slip (carnet de réclamation)

The Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale determines the conditions for entitlement to covered services for recipients of a financial assistance program with claim slip (carnet de réclamation) and their dependants. Contact the Ministère if you have any questions on the matter.

To benefit from covered services, you must present your valid Health Insurance Card and valid claim slip (carnet de réclamation) to dentists and denturists participating in the public plan. Covered services are rendered at dental clinics and hospitals.

If you have been a recipient of a financial assistance program with claim slip (carnet de réclamation) for under 12 consecutive months, you qualify for the following services free of charge in a dental clinic, but in the event of an emergency only:

  • Drainage of an abscess
  • Exam
  • Hemorrhage control
  • Immobilisation of a tooth loosened by trauma
  • Opening of the pulp chamber (internal part of a tooth)
  • Reduction of an alveolar fracture
  • Re-implantation of a completely exfoliated (uprooted) tooth
  • Repair of a soft tissue laceration (example: cheek, tongue or palate)
  • Tooth and root extractions
  • Treatment of an alveolitis (infection of the cavity remaining after a tooth has been extracted)

You will have to pay the cost of any services received before the start date of your eligibility for Health Insurance coverage or for the financial assistance program.

If you have been a recipient for at least 12 consecutive months, you qualify for the following services:

  • Annual examination and emergency examination
  • Cleaning of teeth and teaching hygiene procedures (from age 12)
  • Fillings using esthetic materials in certain cases
  • Grey amalgam fillings on the premolar and molar teeth
  • Local or general anesthesia
  • Prefabricated crowns
  • Pulpotomy, pulpectomy, and other endodentics services, such as emergency opening of the pulp chamber and sedative dressings
  • Scaling, from age 16
  • The oral surgery services covered in hospitals
  • Tooth and root extractions
  • X-rays

Pulpotomy and pulpectomy are covered only for the primary teeth. For the permanent teeth, pulpotomy is covered only under general anesthesia

If you have been a recipient for 24 or more consecutive months, services related to acrylic dental prostheses are added.

To benefit from the following services, you must obtain a written authorization from your local employment centre and present it to your participating dentist or denturist:

  • Addition of a structure to an existing partial prosthesis
  • Manufacture of a complete or partial acrylic prosthesis and replacement after 8 years
  • Re-coating every 5 years, but after a minimum of 3 months after obtaining the prosthesis
  • Repair of prostheses
  • Replacement of lost or damaged prostheses (non-repairable), covered at 50%
  • Replacement of prostheses following oral surgery

The Health Insurance Plan does not cover prostheses on implants and vitallium metal dentures. To find out more, refer to the page Dental care and dentures on Québec.ca.

Dependent children

Your children are eligible for the following free of charge:

  • Application of fluoride, age 12 to 15 inclusive
  • Root canal treatment and apexification on permanent teeth, before age 13

Program Respecting Certain Services Provided by Dental Hygienists

The Program Respecting Certain Services Provided by Dental Hygienists came into force on June 1, 2023. Under certain conditions, you may obtain covered services from dental hygienists who practise independently and who have signed an agreement with RAMQ. You can receive these services in the office, in a mobile clinic or at home.

If you are a recipient of a financial assistance program with a valid claim slip (carnet de réclamation) for at least 12 consecutive months, you qualify for the following services free of charge, once per 12-month period:

Persons 12 years of age or over

  • Dental cleaning
  • Teaching and demonstration of oral hygiene measures

Persons 16 years of age or over

  • Scaling

Persons 12 to 15 years of age

  • Application of fluoride

You may obtain a free sedative dressing once on a single tooth in a 180-day period if you are:

  • a person under 10 years of age
  • a person 10 years or over, recipient of a financial assistance program with a valid claim slip (carnet de réclamation) for at least 12 consecutive months

You may obtain a free evaluation of oral condition once per 12-month period if you are:

  • a person under 10 years of age
  • a person 10 years or over, recipient of a financial assistance program with a valid claim slip (carnet de réclamation) for at least 12 consecutive months

Non-covered services

You have to pay for the following services, regardless of your age, situation or the location where you receive them:

  • Apectomy (removal of the root tip of a tooth)
  • Dental implants
  • Orthodontics (example: fitting of braces, palate expansion or space maintainer)
  • Periodontics (root planing, gum grafts or periodontal surgery, for example)
  • Pit and fissure sealants
  • Prostheses on implants
  • Recementing of crowns other than prefabricated
  • Veneers
  • Whitening

Frequently asked questions

No. The services of dental hygienists who are employed by a dentist in office are not covered by RAMQ. If you meet the eligibility requirements, however, you may be able to obtain covered services under the Program Respecting Certain Services Provided by Dental Hygienists.

You can file a complaint with the Ordre des dentistes du Québec.

  • By mail
    Bureau du syndic
    Ordre des dentistes du Québec
    800, boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, bureau 1640
    Montréal (Québec)  H3B 1X9
     
  • By telephone
    514 875-8511, ext. 2270 (Montréal)
    1 800 361-4887 (toll free)

If the situation is one where laws were not observed, refer to the webpage Report wrongdoing (a person or situation). To file a complaint regarding a service provided by RAMQ, SAAQ or a CLSC, use the form File a complaint on the quality of services.

If you lose or damage your prosthesis before the end of the 8-year period, you may be eligible for financial assistance. Consult your local employment centre to learn how to obtain the prior authorization needed.

You are not eligible for covered services during the waiting period. All services received before your eligibility date as covered dental services are at your expense. When you become eligible, we will cover the dental costs to which you are entitled.

 

No. Orthodontic services are not covered, regardless of the reason for which the treatment is required. The same rule applies to everyone. We therefore cannot reimburse the costs that you may be billed for these services.

See also

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