Canadian Dental Care Plan - CDCP Dental Provider
Dental care is expensive, but it’s necessary to keep your mouth and the rest of your body healthy. However, not all Canadians can afford it. The Canadian Dental Care Plan is a government program designed to help Canadians afford proper dental care. With the help of the CDCP, eligible Canadians can go to the dentist without fearing a hefty bill.
What is CDCP?
CDCP stands for the Canadian Dental Care Plan. This plan is designed to help Canadians access proper dental care without the anxiety of a hefty bill. CDCP aims to ease financial barriers that otherwise prevent those who qualify from getting the necessary dental care.
Who qualifies?
The CDCP has guidelines laid out for those who qualify for this help. Canadians who qualify are those without dental coverage through work, school, spouse, or pension, those with an adjusted family net income of under 90,000 a year, Canadian residents for tax purposes, and those who have paid taxes in Canada in the past year.
The CDCP site lays out the qualifications as follows:
For those without coverage:
This means you do not have access to any type of dental insurance or coverage through:
• Your employment benefits or a family member’s employment benefits, including health and wellness accounts
• A professional or student organization
•Note: If you’re eligible for dental coverage through your employment benefits or through a professional or student organization, you’re not eligible for CDCP. This is true even if:
• You decide not to take it
• You have to pay a premium for it
• You don’t use it
• Your pension benefits or a family member’s pension benefits
• this includes federal, provincial and territorial government employer pension plans
• Exception: You may be eligible for the CDCP if you’re retired and:
• You opted out of pension benefits before December 11, 2023, and
• You can’t opt back in under the pension rules
• Coverage purchased by you or a family member or through a group plan from an insurance or benefits company
• If you purchased your current dental insurance policy privately (and not as part of any of the coverage described above), you’re not eligible for the CDCP while that coverage is in effect.
For families that make an adjusted net income under 90,000 per year:
What is adjusted family net income?
• Your family net income (line 23600 of your tax return plus line 23600 of your spouse’s or common-law partner’s tax return, and any world income not reported in a tax return to the CRA, such as by a new resident)
• Minusany universal child care benefit (UCCB) and registered disability savings plan (RDSP) income received (line 11700 and line 12500 of your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s tax return)
• Plusany UCCB and RDSP amounts repaid (line 21300 and line 23200 of your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s tax return)
What services are covered?
The CDCP covers various services, from preventative, such as regular cleanings to oral surgeries. Some services and treatments may require preapproval beforehand.
Diagnostic and Preventative
Intended to evaluate your oral health status, to keep your teeth, gums and mouth healthy and to prevent cavities and gum disease. Services covered include:
• a range of dental exams, including complete, routine, specific and emergency exams
- x-rays
- cleaning (scaling)
- fluoride applications
- sealants
Basic Services
Restorative services
Intended to treat decayed or fractured teeth. Services covered include:
- permanent fillings
- temporary fillings
- pain control for diseased teeth
- other treatments for cavities
Endodontic services
Intended to treat teeth that are severely decayed, infected or broken. Services covered include:
- root canal treatments
- pulpectomies (first step of a root canal treatment)
- procedures to reduce infection and provide temporary pain relief
- retreatment of previously completed root canal treatment (requires preauthorization)
Periodontal services
Intended to treat areas around the teeth, including gums and bone supporting the teeth. Services covered include:
- cleaning under the gumline
- treatment of abscesses
- bonding for mobile teeth (requires preauthorization)
- post-surgical evaluations (requires preauthorization)
- non-surgical gum disease management
Major Services
Restorative services
Intended to restore teeth with a more extensive procedure when teeth are too damaged to be restored by basic fillings.
• posts and post removal
• repairs to crowns and rebonding of crowns and posts
• crowns (requires preauthorization)
• cores (to support crowns) (requires preauthorization)
• posts for crown (requires preauthorization)
Removable prosthodontic services
Intended to replace missing teeth. Services covered include:
• complete dentures, including standard and temporary dentures
• denture repairs, relines and rebases
• placing lining in dentures to condition oral tissues (for comfort and healing)
• complete immediate and overdentures (requires preauthorization)
• initial placement of partial dentures (requires preauthorization)
• replacement of partial dentures
Oral surgery
Intended to remove teeth or tumours or fix other problems in the mouth and jaw requiring surgical intervention. Services covered include:
• removal of teeth and roots
• surgical removal of tumours and cysts
• surgical incisions, including draining
• treatments for jaw bone fractures
Anesthetic or Sedation Services
Additional services are provided in support of another services. Services covered include:
• minimal sedation (conscious)
• moderate sedation (requires preauthorization)
• deep sedation (requires preauthorization)
• general anaesthesia (requires preauthorization)
Orthodontic Services
Some orthodontic services will be added to the CDCP starting in 2025. Orthodontic services will only be covered in cases of medical need based on stringent criteria and will include a maximum spending limit.
For more information, visit the CDCP site.