All You Need To Know About The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is a federal government program intended to reduce financial barriers to oral health care. The program will cover some basic dental care costs for Canadian residents who do not have dental benefits and have a household income of less than $90,000 a year. For eligible Canadians, the CDCP will help cover the cost of various oral health care services. Dental care under the CDCP started in May 2024. The federal government has committed to rolling out the CDCP coverage in stages (see below).

Source: Health Canada

Dentist Winnipeg

The Canadian Dental Care Program (CDCP): Effective As of July 8, 2024

The dentists at our clinic anticipate participation in CDCP after July 8, 2024.
• We are now seeing CDCP patients for basic services
• CDCP will phase in major services requiring pre-approval after November 2024

Our dentists will continue to make treatment recommendations based on optimizing your oral health regardless of coverage programs or insurance. This includes the frequency of dental hygiene and checkup visits.

Dentist Winnipeg

More information

Below are some links for more information about the CDCP. 

Canada.ca/dental
Manitoba Dental Association
Services covered
Dental Benefits Guide
Canadian Dental Association

Below are multi-language fact sheets as provided by the Goverment of Canada.

• English (PDF)
French (PDF)
Arabic (PDF)
Chinese, Simplified (PDF)
Chinese, Traditional (PDF)
Hindi (PDF)
Punjabi(PDF)
Tagalog (PDF)
Ukrainian (PDF)

FAQs

What is the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is a federal government program that is intended to provide coverage for Canadian residents who do not have dental benefits and have a household income of less than $90,000 a year. You need to know that this is a government dental benefit; it is not a free dental program.

The CDCP is for Canadians who do not have dental benefits. It is not intended to replace benefits that people already have through work, school or private plans.

The CDCP is managed by Health Canada and administered by Sun Life. Dentists are not involved in deciding who is eligible or what services are covered.

What dental services are covered under the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

Health Canada has stated that the following services could be covered under the CDCP, with some services only becoming available in the fall of 2024:

• 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; and
• Oral surgery services, including extractions.

Some services will require preauthorization, which means prior approval is needed. This will be based on a dentist’s recommendations. Before the treatment begins, your dentist will check to see if it will be covered under the CDCP. Services requiring preauthorization will become available in November 2024.

For full information on all services covered, go to the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide.

How much does the Canadian Dental Care Plan cover?

The CDCP does not provide free dental care. It is a government dental benefit that covers a part of the cost of your care. You may have to pay the portion of costs that are not covered.

Patients may be required to make a co-payment (that is, pay for a portion of their dental care under the CDCP) depending on their adjusted family net income, as follows:

• No co-payment of the CDCP benefit for those with an adjusted annual family net income under $70,000.
• A 40 per cent co-payment of the CDCP benefit for those with an adjusted annual family net income between $70,000 and $79,999.
• A 60 per cent co-payment of the CDCP benefit for those with an adjusted annual family net income between $80,000 and $89,999.
• Dentists have the choice to bill their usual and standard fees. In addition to the potential co-payment, you may have to pay the portion of a dentist’s usual and standard fees that aren’t covered by the CDCP.

When booking your dental appointment, talk to your dentist about the costs of your treatment and any costs that won’t be covered by the CDCP.

BCDA does not have further information about the additional fees that dental offices may individually choose to bill patients enrolled in the CDCP and cannot enter into a discussion about fees on your behalf.

Am I Eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

The federal government is contacting groups of eligible citizens to inform them of the process. If you have not received a letter or other communication, you may not be eligible, or at least not yet.

Check your eligibility on the government website: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/qualify.html

Will I lose my dental coverage at work when the CDCP comes out?

We don’t know. Two-thirds of Canadians have great dental benefits from their work, school, or other group plan. These plans give them a choice of dentist, and the right to choose what dental care they get.

Dentists believe that the CDCP should improve access to care for people who don’t have benefits. The CDCP should not take away the benefits that people already have.

A recent study showed that a third of Canadians would not support a dental care plan which causes them to lose their employer-provided dental coverage. This is why we need the federal government to tell us what they are planning to do to protect your existing dental benefits.

The government has stated that the CDCP is not intended to replace existing workplace or private dental benefits. The BCDA strongly encourages employers and other groups to keep the dental benefits for their employees and members, so they don’t lose access to care.


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