The Government of Canada opens up simplified process for all dental care providers to provide care to CDCP members 

July 8, 2024 | Dartmouth, Nova Scotia | Government of Canada

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is one of the largest social programs in Canadian history and, once fully implemented, will provide oral health care for up to 9 million eligible Canadians. As of today, more than 2.1 million Canadians have already been approved under the Plan and approximately 250,000 members have received care under the CDCP.

The Government is taking action to make it easier for oral health providers, including dentists, dental hygienists, denturists or dental specialists, to treat patients and submit CDCP claims.

To date, close to 12,000 providers have signed up to the CDCP and more continue to join every day. We have heard that some providers prefer not to formally sign on to the program but would still like to see CDCP patients. Starting today, eligible providers in Canada can now provide services to CDCP clients on a claim-by-claim basis without formally signing up.

To limit out-of-pocket costs for CDCP patients, providers seeing a CDCP patient will need to agree to bill Sun Life directly and accept payment for services covered under the CDCP, regardless of how they choose to participate. Once a claim is approved, providers will receive reimbursement from Sun Life within 48 hours initially, and we will move towards a 24-hour turnaround time.

This means that Canadians covered by the CDCP will be able to see the provider of their choice, as long as their provider agrees to bill Sun Life directly. For those who don’t already have a provider, they can talk to a dentist, dental hygienist, denturist or dental specialist in their community or consult Sun Life’s CDCP Provider Search tool to find providers who have confirmed their participation in the CDCP.

CDCP patients may have to pay additional charges, in addition to their co-payment, if applicable, depending on the services received and the cost of the treatment. Before receiving any services, CDCP patients should always ask their provider about any additional costs that won’t be covered by the plan.

Providers play a vital role in delivering oral health care, and the CDCP is allowing more Canadian residents to benefit from their care. The Government of Canada is committed to working with partners to improve access and provide more affordable dental care to eligible Canadians across the country.

For more information, visit Canada.ca/dental.