For Canada, we have 10 dental schools: Univeristy of Toronto, McGill, University of Montreal, Dalhousie University, University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, University of British Columbia, University of Western Ontario, University of Saskatchewan, and University Laval.
You will probably want to do your undergraduate education in one of these universities for a couple of reasons.
For the majority of these schools, you can gain admission after complete 3-years of undergraduate education (without gaining your degree). However, it is preferable that you do get your degree, but it is not necessary. Also, University of Alberta will even accept students who only have 2 years of undergraduate education.
Another thing is that almost all, if not all of these schools have strict Out of Province Policies (OPP). This means, they take ~90% (I THINK) of students from the province that the school is situated. Therefore, it is even more difficult for international students to gain admission.
So for these reasons, if you want to do dental school in Canada, you have the best chance by attending undergraduate school here as well. I believe you are considered "local" at the school you attend even though you are not a Canadian citizen, but don't quote me on that.
Another thing is that you have to apply to each school separately and each school has different application criteria. For most schools, the application deadlines are in the Fall. So I would advise you to look at each school's admission requirements and residency criteria. I would probably skip over the Quebec schools, expect for McGill, because they are pretty francophone I think!
You will also have to take the Canadian DAT because I do not think that any of the schools accept the US DAT. However, each school looks at different criteria on the DAT! For example, University of Alberta and UBC looks heavily on the carving, I believe, while UofT just needs you to pass it. The Canadian DAT is offered in February and November and you can find more information at:
http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/dental_profession/dat/index.asp
This is also a US-based forum for dentistry, the Canadian equivalent is:
http://www.premed101.com/forums/
Loans are going to be dependent on the economic climate. But to put it in perspective, $200,000 might get you an aging clinic.
It's good that you are looking into this far in advance, I hope this helps and I hope you are able to reach your goals! Good luck!
