New to Canada? How to find a dentist
Dental care in Canada is private. Most visits are paid by you or by insurance from work, and since 2024 some people qualify for the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). You choose the clinic yourself; no referral is needed. This page walks through the four questions newcomers ask most, and each step ends with a live search of clinics in your city, built from what each clinic says on its own website.
1. Do they speak my language?
Many clinics list the languages their team speaks on their website. Pick your language and your city; the results show the clinic's own statement and the day it was read.
2. Can I go on a Saturday or after work?
Clinic hours vary a lot. Some open Saturday, a few open Sunday, and “evening” here means the clinic closes at 6 pm or later on some day.
3. How do I book?
Three ways, from easiest to slowest. (1) Online booking: some clinics let you pick a time on their site; the search below shows only those. (2) A request form or email: you write, the clinic replies. (3) Phone: still the most common. If you use ChatGPT or another AI assistant, you can paste a clinic's page link from this site and ask it to book or request for you.
4. What will it cost, and what is CDCP?
Prices are set by each clinic; provincial dental associations publish fee guides. Employer insurance usually covers part of cleanings and exams. The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is a federal program with four requirements: you have no access to private dental insurance, you filed a Canadian tax return for the previous year, your adjusted family net income is under $90,000, and you are a resident of Canada for tax purposes. The tax return and the residency also apply to your spouse or partner. So most newcomers can apply only after their first Canadian tax filing. Eligibility and enrolment are on canada.ca (search “CDCP”), where we read these requirements on 2026-09-26. A clinic decides whether it bills CDCP; the search below shows clinics that say so on their own website. Before you go, confirm with the clinic; the statement is theirs, and it may have changed since we read it.
What this site is
Xona's Dental Gateway is a free public directory of Canadian dental practices, built from public directory records and from each clinic's own website. A listing is not a membership and not a recommendation; the site does not rank clinics or verify whether a clinic accepts new patients. Every fact shows the day it was read. Clinics can check and correct their facts for free.
For settlement workers and student offices
You may link this page or any city search from your resources. Nothing here is paid placement. If a client's clinic is missing or a fact is wrong, use the site's contact form; the clinic itself can claim its page and correct facts there.