eligibility <\/a>and a lack of clarity about why some patients are denied coverage remain major barriers.<\/p>\nGrowing pains? <\/p>\n
More than 6.5 million Canadians are eligible for care under the CDCP.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As of April 2026, more than 4.3 million people have already received care, totalling over $6 billion in claims, according to Health Canada.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a lot of money, but the federal government has assured the Canadian Dental Association the long-term sustainability of the program is not at risk, said the association’s president, Dr. Kirk Preston.<\/p>\n
But consistency and predictability around what is and isn’t covered continue to be problems, said Preston. <\/p>\n
Some people have cancelled treatment because they don\u2019t have the time or energy to go through a lengthy appeals process if their pre-authorization request is rejected, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen treatment is postponed or denied, the consequences can lead to irreversible tooth loss, often leading to more complex dental issues,\u201d said Preston.<\/p>\n
Dr. Melvin Lee runs a dental clinic in downtown Ottawa.<\/p>\n
His office has run into similar challenges trying to get pre-approval for crowns. More complex procedures, such as crowns or dentures, need to be pre-authorized before treatment can proceed.<\/p>\n
![\"Dentist](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780575250_863_default.jpg\")
Ottawa dentist Dr. Melvin Lee says all but one of the pre-determination requests his office sent in for crowns was rejected by Sun Life, which administers the CDCP and processes claims. (Jason MacLellan\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Out of dozens of requests, all but one was denied by insurance provider Sun Life, which administers the CDCP and processes claims.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tremendously frustrating when we\u2019re receiving rejection after rejection after rejection without any details or instructions, recommendations, action items as to why such a pre-determination was rejected,\u201d said Lee.<\/p>\n
He thinks Health Canada should consult with front-line dentists more frequently about the challenges they are having with the program to figure out what needs to be improved.<\/p>\n
Basic, preventive care also limited <\/p>\n
The government also needs to clear up how much coverage patients receive for basic, preventive care, said Kathryn Taylor, a dental administrator with 40 years of experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe periodontal part of the plan is woefully inadequate,\u201d said Taylor, who works at a dental office in Victoria, B.C.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Periodontal care includes cleaning, scaling, root planing, polishing and fluoride. These treatments can help prevent gum disease as well as tooth and bone loss.<\/p>\n
Dental plans that are privately or employee funded usually have a set amount of cleaning that\u2019s covered in a calendar year, said Taylor. But some patients need to go more often, so many plans have an annual maximum.<\/p>\n
But the CDCP\u2019s fee guide does not mirror anything Taylor has seen provincially.<\/p>\n
Even cases she thought would be a slam dunk to qualify for more coverage were denied, with no justification other than they do not meet the criteria.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019re having to educate patients about what they\u2019re going to have to pay because there will always be a balance,\u201d said Taylor.<\/p>\n
She thinks the CDCP should set an annual limit. That makes it clearer for patients and may also help avoid any potential abuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have carte blanche to do everything,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cThere are practitioners out there that will over treat.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also says Sun Life needs to ensure only procedures that are medically necessary are approved.<\/p>\n
![\"Elderly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780575250_297_default.jpg\")
Sharon Cameron, who lives in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., is worried the national dental plan may be scrapped if it’s abused. (Submitted by Sharon Cameron)<\/p>\n
Sharon Cameron is worried some dentists may be exploiting the program.<\/p>\n
Like Brown, Cameron, who is in her 70s, was relieved to get coverage under the CDCP. She\u2019d been cautious with her teeth, but was grateful to have a cleaning and X-rays done.<\/p>\n
But after her exam, she was told she needed some fillings replaced and was given options for an action plan. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of them, total, after seven appointments, would have been $11,411,\u201d said Cameron, who lives in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. <\/p>\n
She felt the action plan was a money grab.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there anyone really monitoring the dentist and what they\u2019re doing here?\u201d said Cameron, who fears the CDCP will be scrapped if it’s abused. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to lose it. It\u2019s very important to people, but it has to not be misused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Checklists, videos available<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Health Canada said there is a \u201crobust\u201d verification process to make sure that only procedures that meet the plan’s criteria are covered.<\/p>\n
There are also safeguards in place, including audits, to avoid abuse.<\/p>\n
Health Canada says CDCP members and dental care providers can review the benefits guide<\/a> online. There are videos and checklists available.<\/p>\nThe federal government meets with national and provincial-territorial associations regularly to share information, gather their feedback and improve the plan\u2019s administration and processes, said Karine LeBlanc, a spokesperson for Health Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll continue to work with associations to explore what additional tools may be helpful,\u201d said LeBlanc in an email to CBC.<\/p>\n
Brown hopes the government can sort out the confusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know there are people out there who need these kinds of services,” he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need someone to go in there and make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cameron Brown knows how important first impressions are when searching for a job. So when he got a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":714478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-714477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/714478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780575249_645_default.jpg\")
Cameron Brown, a low-income senior who lives in Toronto, badly needed dentures, but was turned down for coverage under the Canadian Dental Care Plan. (Submitted by Cameron Brown)<\/p>\n