THE Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) recently hit a major milestone when it reached one million seniors who have been deemed eligible for dental care coverage, helping to ease financial barriers to accessing dental care.

The CDCP is going to help make dental care more affordable for Canadians, including the 9 million Canadians who are estimated to currently not have coverage.

While visiting the Seton Villa Retirement Society in Burnaby on Wednesday, federal Minister of Citizens’ Services Terry Beech, announced that the Government of Canada is now extending invitations to seniors, aged 70 and up to apply to the CDCP, with instructions on how to validate their eligibility by phone.

Beech urged those who have already received a letter to contact Service Canada by phone before April 30. As Service Canada prepares to open the online application portal for Canadian residents ages 65 and up in May 2024, personalized application codes sent in existing invitation letters for those ages 70 and up will soon expire. If applying after April 30, applications can be completed using the online portal.

Once Canadian residents are approved by Service Canada, Sun Life then enrolls eligible applicants in the CDCP and will send them a welcome package, including information on the CDCP, coverage details, their member card, and the start date of their coverage.

People who qualify for the CDCP can start seeing a dentist or other dental care provider as early as May, based on their coverage date. An individual’s coverage start date, the date at which they can begin to access services, will vary based on when the application is received and when enrolment is completed. Expenses made prior to the coverage start date will not be covered.

Before receiving any dental care services, CDCP clients should confirm that their provider is participating in the plan and that services they will be receiving will be covered by the CDCP. The CDCP may not cover the full cost of the dental visit, and these costs must be paid directly to the provider after an appointment.

For more information, visit Canada.ca/dental.

Quick Facts:

• As of March 4, 2024, over 1.2 million Canadians have attested for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).
• Budget 2023 announced an investment of $13 billion over five years, starting in 2023-24, and $4.4 billion ongoing, to implement the CDCP, making it the biggest government program in generations.
• The CDCP is administered by Health Canada in collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), through Service Canada, and Sun Life.
• To qualify for the CDCP, you must have an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000, not have access to employer/pension-sponsored or private dental insurance and have filed your tax return in the previous year.
• To improve dental care outcomes, the CDCP will help cover a wide range of dental care services, on the recommendation of a dental care provider. Examples of these services include preventive care such as scaling (cleaning), as well as other services such as exams, x-rays, fillings, removable dentures, and root canal treatments.
• The Canada Dental Benefit will continue to support families with children under the age of 12 until June 30, 2024. Parents and caregivers will be able to apply for the CDCP for children under the age of 18 as of June 2024.