A dentist for Toronto Metropolitan University students
Your TMU dental plan covers a lot less than most clinics let on. Here is what it actually pays for, in plain numbers, from a dental clinic for TMU students that opens evenings and Saturdays and bills GreenShield directly.
- We bill GreenShield directly
- Open until 8pm Tue and Thu, plus Saturdays
- English, Farsi, Greek and Romanian
What your TMU dental insurance actually covers
Full-time undergraduates at Toronto Metropolitan University are enrolled in the TMSU health and dental plan automatically, with the fee on your tuition. Graduate students have the TMGSU plan and part-time students TMAPS. All of them run their dental claims through GreenShield Canada. These are the current TMSU figures.
| Treatment | Covered | What that means for you |
| Exams, x-rays, cleaning and polishing | 80% | Recall exam once per benefit year, cleaning once per recall period |
| Gum scaling and root planing | 80% | One time unit per benefit year |
| Protective sports mouth guard | 80% | Once per benefit year |
| Fillings, extractions and denture repairs | 75% | Includes sedation with eligible oral surgery |
| Root canal treatment | 10% | Also covers gum treatment and night guards for grinding |
| Surgical extractions and jaw surgery | 10% | Listed as comprehensive oral surgery |
| Crowns, bridges and dentures | 10% | Once every five benefit years |
| Braces and orthodontics | 10% | In-person treatment only, no virtual aligners |
| Implants and TMJ appliances | 0% | Both are listed exclusions |
Figures are from the current TMSU plan booklet published at mystudentplan.ca, which is becoming ALUMO. The plan is administered for TMSU and insured through GreenShield Canada. Percentages, maximums and frequency limits are set by your student union and the insurer, not by us, and they change from year to year. Always check your own booklet before booking treatment.
The 10% is where students get caught out
Other clinics advertise that student insurance covers around 80% and offer to waive the rest. That is true for a cleaning. It is not true for the treatments that actually cost money. Root canals, crowns and braces sit at 10% under the TMU plan, and the whole plan stops at $750 for the year.
Checkup and cleaning
Around $30
out of pocket on a roughly $150 visit
Root canal on a molar
Around $1,100
out of pocket on a roughly $1,200 treatment
Crown after a root canal
Around $1,150
out of pocket on a roughly $1,300 crown
Figures are rough and depend on the tooth and the case. The point is the shape of it. Prevention is nearly free under your plan and repair is nearly full price, which is the whole argument for using your cleaning while you have it.
We give you a written estimate before any treatment starts, with the insurance portion already worked out. For anything over $500 we send a predetermination to GreenShield first, so the number you see is the number you pay.
- Monday: 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Tuesday: 12–8 p.m.
- Wednesday: 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Thursday: 12–8 p.m.
- Friday: 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Sunday: Closed
Book an Appointment
What is worth booking while you are covered
Your $750 resets on 1 September and does not roll over. These three are covered at 80%, so they cost you very little and they are the ones that stop the expensive problems.
Checkup and cleaning - 80%
Exam, x-rays and a cleaning in one appointment. One recall exam and one cleaning per year is what the plan allows, so book it before the year runs out.
Gum treatment - 80%
If your gums bleed when you brush, this is the one to deal with early. Scaling and root planing is covered at 80%, gum surgery later is covered at 10%.
Sports mouth guard - 80%
If you play for the Rams or in any intramural contact sport, a custom guard is covered once a year at 80%. Far better fitting than a boil-and-bite from a pharmacy.
One thing worth flagging: a custom mouth guard for sport is covered at 80%, but a night guard for grinding your teeth is covered at only 10%, and appliances for jaw joint problems are excluded from the plan entirely. They look similar and they are treated very differently. Ask us which one you actually need before you assume it is covered.
A dental clinic near TMU, on the way home
We are honest about this one. We are not the closest clinic to campus. We are about fifteen minutes away, and we are worth the trip if you live anywhere along the Danforth, which plenty of Toronto Metropolitan University students do.
Dundas station to Bloor–Yonge
Line 1 northbound, about four minutes
Change to Line 2 eastbound
One change, same station
Bloor–Yonge to Pape
About eight minutes, then a two minute walk
If you live in Riverdale, Leslieville, Greektown or anywhere off Pape or Donlands, we are the clinic near your flat rather than near your lecture hall. That usually matters more, because you can book an evening slot and walk home afterwards.
| Monday | 9am – 2pm |
| Tuesday | 12pm – 8pm |
| Wednesday | 9am – 2pm |
| Thursday | 12pm – 8pm |
| Friday | 9am – 2pm |
| Saturday | 9am – 2pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Open through exam season
We keep normal hours all year, reading week and exams included. Tuesday and Thursday evenings are the slots students book most.
Need an emergency dentist near TMU?
Emergency and specific oral examinations are covered at 80% under your plan, so getting seen quickly is the cheap part. Waiting until it becomes a root canal at 10% is the expensive part.
Call us on (647) 930-5884 as early in the day as you can. We hold time for urgent cases and will see you the same day where we have space. On Tuesday and Thursday we are open until 8pm.
Need an emergency dentist near TMU?
- Severe or throbbing toothache
- A broken or knocked-out tooth
- Swelling in the gum, face or jaw
- A lost filling or crown
- Bleeding that will not stop
If you have facial swelling with difficulty breathing or swallowing, go to the nearest hospital emergency department rather than waiting for an appointment.
How billing works with your TMU dental plan
You should not have to front the money and wait to be paid back. Here is how we handle it, and the one timing trap to watch for.
Generate your plan card
Log in at mystudentplan.ca and generate your card. Your member number is RSU, then your student number, then 00. The RSU prefix is left over from the Ryerson years and is still correct.
We check your coverage
Before treatment, so you know what the plan pays and what is left. For anything over $500 we send a predetermination to GreenShield first.
We bill GreenShield directly
In most cases you pay only the portion your plan does not cover, at the desk, on the day.
Tell us about other plans
If you are also on a parent's plan, that changes which one pays first. We will sort out the order for you.
Questions TMU students ask
Do I have TMU student dental insurance?
If you are a full-time undergraduate at Toronto Metropolitan University, almost certainly. The TMSU health plan fee appears on your tuition statement and enrolment is automatic. Graduate students are on the TMGSU plan and part-time students on TMAPS. Check your student account for the plan fee, or log in at mystudentplan.ca to confirm.
How much is a checkup and cleaning going to cost me?
Exams, x-rays and cleaning are covered at 80%, so you pay the remaining 20%. On a typical visit that is somewhere around $30. We check your exact coverage and tell you the number before we start, never after.
Does my TMU dental plan cover root canals?
Only at 10%, which surprises most students. Root canals sit in the comprehensive basic services category along with gum treatment and night guards. It means a root canal that costs around $1,200 leaves you paying most of it. Come in early when something hurts, because a filling at 75% is a very different bill.
Is there a dentist near Toronto Metropolitan University that bills my plan directly?
Yes. We bill GreenShield directly, so in most cases you only pay the part your plan does not cover. Bring your plan card, which you generate at mystudentplan.ca, and your student number. We are about fifteen minutes from campus, one change at Bloor-Yonge.
Where can I find an emergency dentist near TMU?
Call us on (647) 930-5884 as early in the day as you can. We keep time aside for urgent cases and will see you the same day where we have space. Emergency examinations are covered at 80% under your plan. If you have facial swelling with difficulty breathing or swallowing, go straight to a hospital emergency department instead.
What happens if I hit the $750 maximum?
Anything beyond it is on you until the plan year resets on 1 September. If you are getting close we will tell you before doing further work, and we can either stage the treatment across two plan years where it is safe to wait, or set up a payment plan. Nothing goes ahead without you agreeing to the cost first.
Should I opt out of the TMU dental plan?
I am an international student. Am I covered for dental?
Book your first visit
Four details and we will call you back to confirm a time.
We will call you back to confirm. No commitment to any treatment, and your details are never shared.
A dental clinic for TMU students in the east end
745 Danforth Ave, Suite 309, Toronto, ON M4J 1L4. Two minutes from the Pape station exit, and about fifteen minutes from the Toronto Metropolitan University campus at Yonge and Dundas. Call us on (647) 930-5884.
Bring with you
Photo ID, your student number, and your plan card from mystudentplan.ca. If you have had dental x-rays elsewhere in the past year, tell us and we can request them instead of taking new ones.
Who looks after you
Dr. Michael Strugurescu and Dr. Sasan Shahrbandi have run this clinic on the Danforth for over sixteen years. Between them the team speaks English, Farsi, Greek and Romanian.
Also close by
If you live off campus in the east end, we are the neighbourhood clinic for these areas too.
Danforth
East York
Greektown
Woodbine
Greenwood
Your TMU dentist on the Danforth
745 Danforth Ave, Suite 309 · Fifteen minutes from Toronto Metropolitan University · Open evenings and Saturdays