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Canadian Dental Care Plan

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The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is a federal program that pays part or all of the cost of many dental services. You may qualify if you have no access to private dental insurance, you filed your tax return, and your adjusted family net income is under $90,000. Applications for the 2026-2027 benefit period are open now, online or by phone.

Check if you qualify

Key facts

Income limit
Adjusted family net income under $90,000 (2026-2027 benefit period)
Share you pay (co-pay)
0% under $70,000; 40% from $70,000 to $79,999; 60% from $80,000 to $89,999
Current benefit period
Runs to June 30, 2027
Cost to apply or renew
Free
Service Canada CDCP line
1-833-537-4342

What is the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

The Canadian Dental Care Plan, often shortened to CDCP, helps people who have no dental insurance pay for dental care. The Government of Canada runs the plan. A private company, Sun Life, handles the cards and pays the dental offices on the government's behalf.

The plan does not make all dental care free. Depending on your income, it pays all or part of the set fee for each covered service. Your dental office may also charge more than the plan's fee, and you pay the difference.

Coverage runs for a set benefit period that ends on June 30 each year. To keep your coverage, you must renew every spring.

Who qualifies for the Canadian Dental Care Plan in 2026?

You, and your spouse or common-law partner if you have one, must meet all four of these conditions:

Adjusted family net income is your family's net income from line 23600 of your tax returns, with a few small adjustments for Universal Child Care Benefit and Registered Disability Savings Plan income. For most retirees it is simply the line 23600 amounts for you and your spouse added together.

Retirees: if you opted out of your pension plan's dental coverage before December 11, 2023, and you cannot opt back in, you may still qualify. To check whether your pension offers dental coverage, look at box 015 on your T4A slip. A code from 2 to 5 means coverage was available to you.

Having dental coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal government program does not stop you from applying. The plans coordinate so that the same service is not paid twice.

How much does the dental plan pay?

Your share of the cost depends on your adjusted family net income. The plan pays the rest of its set fee for each covered service.

Even with no co-pay, you can be charged extra if your dental office's fee is higher than the plan's fee, or if you choose a service the plan does not cover. Ask the office for the full cost before your treatment starts.

What does the CDCP cover?

The plan covers a wide range of services, including:

Orthodontic services, such as braces, are not available under the plan at this time.

Some services need approval from the plan before you get them. This is called preauthorization. Your dental office sends the request. Services that need it include crowns, posts and cores, partial dentures, some other denture work, bonding for loose teeth, and deeper forms of sedation.

How to apply for the Canadian Dental Care Plan

Applying is free. Each adult applies separately, so your spouse or partner needs their own application.

  1. File your tax return for last year, if you have not already. Your spouse or partner must file too.
  2. Gather your Social Insurance Number, date of birth, full name, home and mailing address, and details of any dental coverage you have through a government program.
  3. Apply online through My Service Canada Account or the online form on Canada.ca, or call Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342.
  4. Wait for a letter by mail or email. If you qualify, it gives your plan number, member ID, the date your coverage starts and your co-pay level.
  5. Watch for a welcome package from Sun Life with your member card. You do not need the card to book care, as long as you have your member ID and coverage start date.

Care you receive before your coverage start date is not covered. Book your appointment for on or after that date.

How do I find a dentist who takes the CDCP?

Not every dental office takes part. Use the provider search tool on Sun Life's CDCP website to search by your address or by provider name. The tool does not list every participating office, so it is also worth calling local offices and dental schools to ask.

When you call, ask whether the office accepts CDCP patients and will bill Sun Life directly. You cannot pay the bill yourself and then ask Sun Life to pay you back. Also ask what your co-pay will be and whether any part of your treatment will cost extra.

How to renew your CDCP coverage

Members renew once a year, online or by phone. For 2026, renewal ran from April 15 to June 1. Before you renew, you must file your tax return and receive your Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency.

If you missed the June 1, 2026 deadline, you can send a new application for the 2026-2027 benefit period. You will have a gap in coverage until the new application is approved, and care during the gap is not paid back. Expect the next renewal window to open in spring 2027.

What to do if you are refused or something goes wrong

If you are told you do not qualify, read the letter carefully to see which condition you did not meet. The most common reasons are a missing tax return for you or your spouse, income at or over the limit, or access to private dental coverage.

There is no fee to apply or renew. Be careful of mail, calls, texts or emails that ask you to pay or to share banking details for the dental plan.

Things people miss

Who to contact

Common questions

Can seniors get free dental care in Canada?

Not fully free in every case. If your adjusted family net income is under $70,000 and you have no private dental insurance, the Canadian Dental Care Plan pays its full set fee for covered services. Your dental office may still charge extra if its fee is higher than the plan's fee.

What is the income limit for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

Your adjusted family net income must be less than $90,000. For most retirees, that is line 23600 of your tax return plus your spouse's line 23600.

Can I get the CDCP if I have dental coverage through my pension?

Usually not. If your pension plan offers dental coverage, you do not qualify. The exception is if you opted out before December 11, 2023, and cannot opt back in.

How do I apply for the dental care plan by phone?

Call Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm local time. Have your Social Insurance Number and address ready.

Does the Canadian Dental Care Plan cover dentures?

Yes. Complete dentures, partial dentures, repairs and relines are covered. Partial dentures and some other denture work need approval before treatment.

Does the CDCP cover crowns and implants?

Crowns are covered but need approval from the plan first. The official coverage list does not include implants, so ask your dental office before treatment.

Do I need to renew the Canadian Dental Care Plan every year?

Yes. Coverage ends on June 30 each year. Members renew in the spring, and you need your Notice of Assessment for the previous tax year before you can renew.

Where is my CDCP card and can I see a dentist without it?

Sun Life mails the card in a welcome package after you are enrolled. You can get care before it arrives if you have your member ID, identification, coverage start date and co-pay level from your enrolment letter.

Sources

  1. Canadian Dental Care Plan (Government of Canada)
  2. Canadian Dental Care Plan: Do you qualify (Government of Canada)
  3. Canadian Dental Care Plan: Apply (Government of Canada)
  4. Canadian Dental Care Plan: After you apply (Government of Canada)
  5. Canadian Dental Care Plan: What's covered (Government of Canada)
  6. Renew your Canadian Dental Care Plan coverage (Government of Canada)
  7. Canadian Dental Care Plan: Contact us (Government of Canada)
  8. Canadian Dental Care Plan: Before booking your first appointment (Government of Canada)
  9. Canadian Dental Care Plan renewal season opens April 15 (Employment and Social Development Canada)
  10. Dental care for low-income seniors (Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program) (Government of Ontario)
  11. Dental and Optical Assistance for Seniors (Government of Alberta)

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