Ontario business guide

The Canadian Dental Care Plan in Ontario: Eligibility, Applying and Visiting a Dentist

Check whether you qualify, apply for your family and know what to ask before your first appointment.

By PCBO Directory 9 min read

The Canadian Dental Care Plan, or CDCP, is a federal program that helps eligible residents without dental insurance pay for oral health care. Many Ontario families have heard of it but are unsure whether they qualify, what a visit will cost or how to find a dentist who will see them under the plan. This guide walks through eligibility, applying, coverage, co-payments and the Ontario programs that may also help children and seniors.

1. Understand what the Canadian Dental Care Plan does

The Canadian Dental Care Plan is a Government of Canada program intended to make dental care more affordable for eligible residents. Applications are open for the 2026-2027 benefit period, and there is no fee to apply or renew. Treat anyone who asks for a fee to “process” your application as a possible scam.

The plan is not a cash benefit. Once you are enrolled, your dental provider bills Sun Life directly for covered services. The plan reimburses providers, not patients, so you should not pay the full cost upfront and expect to be paid back, as Canada.ca explains in its guide to booking your first appointment.

Coverage depends on your household income, the services you need and whether your provider agrees to bill Sun Life directly. Each of those points is covered below.

2. Check whether you qualify

Canada.ca sets out the eligibility requirements on its “Do you qualify” page. In summary:

  • No access to dental insurance. You cannot have access to dental coverage through work or a pension plan, a family member’s plan, a professional or student organization, or a dental plan you or a family member bought. You are not eligible even if you never use that coverage, did not enrol or it does not pay the full cost.
  • Adjusted family net income below $90,000. This starts from family net income on line 23600 of your return, including a spouse or common-law partner, with adjustments for UCCB and RDSP amounts.
  • Canadian residency for tax purposes, for you and any spouse or common-law partner.
  • Tax returns filed in Canada for the previous year, for you and any spouse or common-law partner.

There is a limited exception for some retirees who opted out of pension dental coverage before December 11, 2023 and cannot opt back in. Canada.ca suggests checking box 45 on your T4 or box 015 on your T4A, and your partner’s slips, to see whether dental coverage was offered.

Coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal social program does not automatically disqualify you. Canada.ca says you may still qualify and the plans may coordinate coverage.

3. Apply for yourself and your children

According to Canada.ca’s application page, you can apply:

  • Online through My Service Canada Account, in its Canadian Dental Care Plan section.
  • Online through Canada.ca, if you cannot use My Service Canada Account.
  • By phone with Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342 (TTY 1-833-677-6262).

Have the following ready for each person on the application, including dependent children: full name, date of birth, Social Insurance Number (if a child has one), home and mailing address, and any dental coverage through a government social program.

Include your children in your own application. A spouse or common-law partner is different: you give their information to confirm your marital status and their lack of dental coverage, but they must submit their own application to be covered.

You can have a trusted person, such as a relative, caregiver or interpreter, help you with your clear consent. Service Canada’s CDCP contact page lists phone hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm local time, Monday to Friday.

4. Wait for your start date and renew each year

After you apply, you will receive a letter by mail or email confirming whether you are enrolled. Canada.ca’s after you apply page says the letter lists your member ID, coverage start date and co-payment level. Sun Life then sends a welcome package with a member card.

Do not book covered care before your start date. Only care received after your start date is covered. You do not have to wait for the welcome package if you already have your member ID, your start date and your co-payment level, and can show a piece of ID.

Coverage must be renewed every year. Canada.ca’s renewal page says the 2026 renewal period closed on June 1, 2026, and that renewals for 2027-2028 open in spring 2027. If you miss renewal, you can submit a new application, but care received during the gap is not covered or reimbursed retroactively.

5. Know which services are covered

Canada.ca’s coverage page groups covered care into categories:

  • Diagnostic and preventive: exams, x-rays, cleaning (scaling), fluoride and sealants.
  • Basic: fillings, root canals, and periodontal care such as cleaning under the gumline.
  • Major: posts and crown repairs, complete dentures and denture repairs, and oral surgery such as tooth removal.
  • Anesthesia or sedation: nitrous oxide, oral sedation or both.

Some services need preauthorization before you receive them. Examples on the coverage page include crowns, partial dentures, root canal re-treatments, deep sedation or general anesthesia, and services beyond established frequency limits. The plan decides whether to cover them, so your provider should request approval first.

Orthodontic services are currently not available under the plan. If your dentist recommends something the CDCP does not cover, you can still choose it, but you pay for it directly.

6. Understand your co-payment and possible extra charges

Your share of the cost depends on adjusted family net income. The coverage page lists these levels, applied to the CDCP’s established fees:

  • Under $70,000: the plan covers 100% and you pay no co-payment.
  • $70,000 to $79,999: the plan covers 60% and you pay 40%.
  • $80,000 to $89,999: the plan covers 40% and you pay 60%.

The co-payment is not always the whole picture. A dental office’s fees can differ from the CDCP’s established fees, and you may be asked to pay the difference. You will also pay for any service you agree to that the plan does not cover.

The practical rule from Canada.ca is simple: before you accept treatment, ask the office which costs the plan will not cover and what you will need to pay directly.

7. Find a dentist who will bill Sun Life

Canada.ca’s first-appointment guide points members to the Provider Search Tool on Sun Life’s CDCP website, where you can search by name or specialty and location. It also notes that not every participating provider is listed, and suggests contacting dental offices or dental schools in your area to ask whether they are accepting CDCP patients.

Since July 2024, oral health providers have been able to treat CDCP members on a claim-by-claim basis without formally signing up. Health Canada’s announcement says members can see the provider of their choice, as long as that provider agrees to bill Sun Life directly.

That makes the phone call to the office important. A clinic may be willing to see you under the plan without appearing in the search tool, or a listed clinic may not be accepting new patients. Ask directly before you book.

8. Check Ontario programs for children and seniors

Ontario runs its own public dental programs, which have separate rules and applications.

Healthy Smiles Ontario covers eligible children aged 17 and under from low-income households. Ontario’s dental care page sets family net income limits that rise with the number of dependent children; for example, $29,065 or lower for one child, as of July 1, 2026. Covered services include check-ups, cleaning, fillings, x-rays, scaling, extractions and urgent or emergency care. Cosmetic work, including teeth whitening and braces, is not covered. You can apply online or by mail, and enrolment runs for a benefit year from August 1 to July 31.

The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program is for Ontario residents aged 65 or older with no other dental benefits. Ontario’s seniors dental page sets net income limits of $25,480 or less for a single senior and a combined $42,290 or less for a couple. Care is provided through public health units and partner community health centres and Aboriginal Health Access Centres, and services vary across the province. Ontario says CDCP coverage does not disqualify you; you may qualify for both. Spouses or partners apply separately.

For details of the provincial services available near you, Ontario directs residents to their local public health unit.

9. Questions to ask a dental office before your visit

Have your CDCP member ID, coverage start date and co-payment level ready, then ask:

  • Will you accept me, and my children, as CDCP patients?
  • Will you bill Sun Life directly for covered services?
  • Is my first appointment on or after my coverage start date?
  • Which parts of the recommended treatment are covered, and which are not?
  • Do your fees differ from the CDCP’s established fees? What would I pay beyond my co-payment?
  • Does any recommended service need preauthorization, and will you request it before treatment?
  • What should I bring to the appointment?

Ask for an estimate in writing before major work. If the office cannot answer a coverage question, contact Service Canada about eligibility or the plan details printed in your Sun Life welcome package.

Sources & further reading

Sources checked on October 16, 2026.

← All education articles