PetQuick answer
Does pet insurance cover dental in Canada? Partly — most comprehensive accident-and-illness plans cover dental disease and injury (like a fractured tooth or advanced periodontal disease), but routine dental cleanings are preventive care and are only covered if you add a wellness package. The catch is pre-existing conditions: dental problems documented before your policy starts are usually excluded.
What's covered vs what's not
- Usually covered (comprehensive plan): treatment for dental disease and dental injuries — fractured or abscessed teeth, advanced periodontal disease, and the extractions those require, as long as the condition isn't pre-existing.
- Only with a wellness add-on: routine, preventive dental cleanings done to maintain oral health rather than treat a problem.
- Typically excluded: anything showing signs before enrolment or during the waiting period, and purely cosmetic dental work.
Because a full cleaning with extractions can run $650–$3,500+, the illness/injury coverage matters — but only if you enrol before problems appear.
How to make sure dental is covered
- Read the policy's dental wording — insurers differ on what counts as illness vs preventive.
- If routine cleanings matter to you, price a wellness/preventive add-on and compare it to paying out of pocket.
- Enrol early and keep annual dental checks so nothing becomes a documented pre-existing exclusion.
- See what's generally excluded in what pet insurance doesn't cover.
Frequently asked questions
Does pet insurance cover dental cleanings?
Not usually on a standard accident-and-illness plan — a routine dental cleaning is preventive care, so it's only covered if you add a wellness/preventive package. Dental disease and dental injuries, however, are commonly covered on comprehensive plans.
Does pet insurance cover tooth extractions?
Often yes, when the extraction treats disease or injury (a fractured tooth, advanced periodontal disease) and the condition wasn't pre-existing. If extractions happen during a purely preventive cleaning, they're treated as part of that cleaning and may not be covered without a wellness add-on.
Is dental disease considered pre-existing?
It can be. If your pet showed signs of dental disease before the policy started (or during the waiting period), the insurer can exclude it. Enrol young, before dental problems are documented, and keep up annual dental checks.