Canadian Dental Care Plan
Canadian Dental Care Plan
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) will help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for eligible Canadian residents with an annual adjusted family net income of less than $90,000 who do not have access to dental insurance.
Applications will open in phases.
If you’re a parent or guardian of a child under the age of 12 and do not have access to dental insurance, you may already be eligible for the Canada Dental Benefit. This benefit is available until June 30, 2024.
Application Requirements
1. When you can apply.
Starting in mid-December 2023, letters will be mailed to seniors aged 87 and above who may qualify, followed by those aged 77 to 86 in January 2024, then those aged 72 to 76 in February 2024 and those aged 70 to 71 in March 2024. These letters will include a personalized application code and instructions on how to apply.
If you are eligible to apply starting in May 2024
People who are eligible to apply starting in May 2024 will be able to do so online. More information on how to apply online will be added at a later date.
2. Do you qualify
To qualify for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), you must meet all the eligibility criteria. If you have a spouse or common-law partner, you both need to meet the eligibility criteria to be able to qualify for the CDCP. Eligibility for children under 18 will be determined by the parents’ or guardians’ eligibility.
3. When can you visit an oral health provider
Enrolment confirmation
Sun Life is the contracted service provider who will manage the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) on behalf of the Government of Canada.
Once you’ve applied and we confirm that you qualify, your information will be shared with Sun Life, who will enrol you in the CDCP.
Sun Life will then send you a welcome package, which will include:
- information on the CDCP
- your member card
- your coverage start date
Coverage start date
Canadian residents who are enrolled in the CDCP will be able to start seeing an oral health provider as early as May 2024, starting with seniors. The start date to access oral health care will vary based on when each group can apply, when the application is received and when enrolment is completed.
Booking an oral health appointment
Your coverage will begin on the date provided in the welcome package you receive from Sun Life. Appointments with an oral health provider should be scheduled as of that date, and no sooner, for the eligible oral health care services to be covered under the plan. The CDCP will not reimburse you for oral health care services received before the start date.
When booking an appointment with an oral health provider, make sure to ask if they have enrolled in the CDCP to limit unexpected out-of-pocket payments.
Annual reassessment
You will need to meet the eligibility requirements each year to qualify for the CDCP. More information on the annual reassessment process will be added at a later date.
4. When can you visit an oral health provider
- preventive services, including scaling (cleaning), polishing, sealants, and fluoride
- diagnostic services, including examinations and x-rays
- restorative services, including fillings
- endodontic services, including root canal treatments
- prosthodontic services, including complete and partial removable dentures
- periodontal services, including deep scaling
- oral surgery services, including extractions
Note: Some services will only become available in fall 2024. This page will be updated as more details are available.
The CDCP will only pay for oral health care services covered within the plan at the established CDCP fees.
How much will be covered
People covered under the CDCP will not have to pay the full cost out of their own pocket. Oral health providers enrolled in the CDCP will be required to submit the claims directly to Sun Life for payment rather than having patients seek reimbursement from Sun Life for services covered under the plan.
The CDCP will reimburse a percentage of any eligible expenses, but some people covered under the plan may have a co-payment. A co-payment is the percentage of CDCP fees that is not covered by the CDCP, and that people covered under the CDCP will have to pay directly to the oral health provider. Your co-payment is based on your adjusted family net income.
Oral health providers are encouraged to follow the CDCP fees, which are not the same as the provincial and territorial fee guides, so their patients do not face additional charges at point of care.
Patients should always confirm what costs will not be covered by the plan and that they will be expected to pay with their oral health provider before receiving care.
5. What services are covered
Services covered
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) will help cover the cost of various oral health care services that keep your teeth and gums healthy and treat problems that can happen.
Examples of services that could be covered under the CDCP, as recommended by an oral health provider, includes the following:
- preventive services, including scaling (cleaning), polishing, sealants, and fluoride
- diagnostic services, including examinations and x-rays
- restorative services, including fillings
- endodontic services, including root canal treatments
- prosthodontic services, including complete and partial removable dentures
- periodontal services, including deep scaling
- oral surgery services, including extractions
Note: Some services will only become available in fall 2024. This page will be updated as more details are available.
The CDCP will only pay for oral health care services covered within the plan at the established CDCP fees.
How much will be covered
People covered under the CDCP will not have to pay the full cost out of their own pocket. Oral health providers enrolled in the CDCP will be required to submit the claims directly to Sun Life for payment rather than having patients seek reimbursement from Sun Life for services covered under the plan.
The CDCP will reimburse a percentage of any eligible expenses, but some people covered under the plan may have a co-payment. A co-payment is the percentage of CDCP fees that is not covered by the CDCP, and that people covered under the CDCP will have to pay directly to the oral health provider. Your co-payment is based on your adjusted family net income.
Oral health providers are encouraged to follow the CDCP fees, which are not the same as the provincial and territorial fee guides, so their patients do not face additional charges at point of care.
Patients should always confirm what costs will not be covered by the plan and that they will be expected to pay with their oral health provider before receiving care.
6. How oral health providers enrol in the CDCP
Oral health professionals play a vital role in delivering oral health care, and this plan will allow more Canadians to benefit from their care.
In early 2024, oral health providers will be able to enrol, on a voluntary basis, as a participating CDCP provider directly with Sun Life. Oral health providers include:
- dentists
- denturists
- dental hygienists, and
- dental specialists
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