Only if the total annual expenditure on medical exceeds 3% (or there abouts) of your taxable income will you get anything back... So in most cases you get nothing.

I agree. Unfortunately, the US way is usually about the sole idea of extracting as much money as possible, without caring about any other consequences. That is usually good enough for those in charge of such things. For the plebs, the idea of looking outside of N.America for ideas is alien. Hell even the thought of looking outside their own province, makes a large chunk of the population nervous.

I go to a dentist in Mexico twice a year for checkups. The cost...US$20 !
If I need any other work:
A root canal cost me US$350
A crown is US$240.
I send all the claims to Sun Life who pay what they would pay in Canada and that usually covers the whole thing.
My dentist was trained in Loma Linda, CA.
The orthodontist was trained at UCLA. He teaches orthodontistry in the US in the summer months.
The facilities are state of the art, much more modern than the dentist that I used to use in Nova Scotia.
No wonder I don't use a dentist in Canada any more.

Are there any reductions for seniors with no job benefits cover? I fear I will have to get all my teeth pulled out and acquire a set of wallies before I come over

Granma Nessie

There is some welfare provision, but your circumstances, and teeth, have to be pretty poor. Options covered will not be at the sophisticated dentistry end of the available treatment spectrum either.

Are we talking NHS dentistry here?

that's what i was thinking. My family in the UK who go to NHS dentists have terrible teeth. While I am lucky due to my benefits, I have found the standard of dental care here top shelf.

Two kids currently in braces just waiting to see if the third needs them as well. We are lucky we both have insurance through work and we're covered 100%, unfortunately it does not include ortho so we are having to cover that ourselves.

Rather like my failed attempt to have offspring #1 say "Tomaahtoe", perhaps I could persuade the kids that crooked teeth are an essential part of their british heritage....


Yeah, fat chance of that.

Mine can either go to college or have straight teeth - their choice

You need perfect teeth to graduate high school.

The older two have small mouths and way to many teeth, so crooked was an understatement, they were on the list for ortho in the UK, we were waiting for the baby teeth to fall out.

We knew when we were looking at moving to Canada that two would need ortho and tried to arrange cover unfortunately it was not covered by OH's employer and could not find any private health cover.

Did you shag a crocodile?

i fall into thi s category myself

http://britishteeth.co.uk/

What a waste of electrons that was, Ribery is French and thats the saddest, pettiest website I think Ive ever seen.

I paid private when I was in the UK, something like 30 pounds a month, I visited the dentist every 6mths for a check up, and hygiene. Each visit lasted about 15 mins and that included the hygiene. So I thought my teeth were great as never had any problems.
When we arrived here I had a full check up with new dentist and he took xrays and thoroughly examined me. He produced a little booklet showing what I needed doing to bring me up to his standard. The total cost of the treatment would be $12,000. He said I had all sorts wrong and produced the xrays to prove it.
I am slowly getting it all done, but we do not have insurance so have to pay as we go. (early retired)
I feel I was totally ripped off in the UK, here the hygienist takes nearly an hour at each appointment, back in the UK it was just a case of polish and off you go.
The standard here is far higher than the uk, although the cost is very high.